Rose of the Desert
by CherryBlossomKnight
Summary: WA3 Virginia questions her leadership after her decisions caused a near fatal ambush on her team. She seeks comfort and advise from Clive. She admires him, but she finds out that its something more. Does Jet show of a hint of jelousy? VXC later VXJ.
1. The Mistake

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Author's Note: Okay, let me start off that this is my very first story. Please, I'm not used to harsh comments, so if you don't have nothing nice to write, don't bother writing anything at all. However, I will accept suggestions on something you feel isn't right. I'm not very good in grammar, so I apologize if I misspell something absentmindedly, or if I make an grammar error. I try my best to make sure this doesn't happen. Anyways, my all-time favorite character is Clive. So, I was a little surprise on the popularity of VirginiaXJet was here, I've decided to mix it up for a change. Note, I'll be skipping around during the events of the game. This will be focusing on the relationship between Virginia and Clive, with a little hint of Virginia and Jet somewhere later in the story.

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_**Rose of the Desert**_

By LadyDarkKnight

**Chapter 1: The Mistake**

_Oh no… what have I done? How could I be so stupid?_

Virginia ponders as she sits alone on the outskirts of Claiborne. Disappointment overwhelms her. For several months now, she has been the leader of the group. She was the only female out of the three strangers she had met on the train during that stormy night. She was glad she was not alone; she was excited about the new adventures that awaited her. Virginia has dreamed of becoming a Drifter ever since she was a little girl. Her dream had finally come true when she left her hometown of Boot Hill. She misses her aunt and uncle, but her love for the open skies to venture into took her mind off of that. She has the heart of the Drifter.

Yet… She doesn't have the experience.

That all showed today out in the desert. Her brash actions almost got her whole team killed this afternoon. She panicked. Truth be told, she didn't know what she was doing half of the time. Virginia never did think ahead; it was her weakest point. Most of the time, she would just carry on an action, then finding out what would happen without any thought to it.

And it always led her team into trouble.

_Am…am I even worthy of being the team leader?_ Virginia thought. _No, I'm not! Jet said it all this evening!_

Earlier that evening at the saloon

"What the hell were you thinking Virginia?! You could have gotten us all killed!" Jet shouted at Virginia. "Damn… this is why I hate travelin' with people who don't know what the hell they're doin'! You have no experience at all! You're so pathetic… you're weak, you're so useless! You're not even strong in combat!" The silver-haired boy shouted at Virginia.

Virginia was on the verge of tears as she took the usual abuse from Jet across the table. She took all the might she had to hold them back.

"You have no purpose of being a drifter. You're a nobody!" Jet had been constantly bickering at Virginia ever since they came to Claiborne. He had been biting her head off ever since the incident that afternoon.

"Shut up! I'm not a nobody and how dare you speak like that to me!" Virginia had had enough, so she decided to argue back in attempt to defend herself. "I know that I'm weak… I'm trying so hard to be a great leader! I'm doing the best I can, but it's so hard…"

"Then go back home! You're not ready to roam the open desert. A weak minded girl like you has no purpose of being here. Those monsters were about to have us today out in the dunes."

"It was a mistake, okay?! I didn't know those monsters were at a higher level than us."

"That ain't no damn excuse. All you had to do was use your instinct, Clive sure did. Thank god for him that he saved us! In fact, he told you to avoid those bastards from the beginning, didn't you Clive?"

"I thought I could've handled them… We all make mistakes, don't we? I'm pretty sure you've made some major errors during your time, cowboy."

"Yeah? Well we don't make mistakes like you all the time! I mean, c'mon! This was probably, what? The eight-hundredth mistake you've made so far? Every time you mess up, we all got to pay the price for it, and I'm sick of it! I'm tired of your bullshit Virginia. You either learn how to experience from them, or you get the hell outta here."

"Hey, hey! C'mon you guys! Can't we leave all that behind us? We're all safe now, isn't that what matters?" spoke a giant-built Baskar beside them. The priest was obviously too busy enjoying his meal than paying any attention to Jet's harsh words to Virginia. Gallows was usually upbeat and clueless to what's happening around him. He was just happy to enjoy a good meal and drink.

"Speak for yourself, jackass. All I'm sayin' is that we need to bring this into discussion. This rookie here has messed up so many times that I'm beginning to wonder whether this broad should be the head honcho." Jet said, crossing his arms.

All remained silent at Jet's words. Was he right? Was Virginia really not the one who should play leader?

"Yo, seriously man, you can't continue being the leader here. What if you make another stupid mistake, Virginia? I don't know about anyone else here, but I'm pretty damn sure that it will be the last one she'd make for all of us."

Jet's words cut through Virginia like a knife. How could he be so cruel?

"You're…you're so mean, Jet!" Virginia cried, trying to take control of her tears.

"Yeah? What the hell you gonna do about it, you wannabe Drifter?"

Anger filled Virginia, one tear slowly fell on her cheek. Gallows stared blankly at the both of them, unsure of what to do.

"That's quite enough, Jet. You've caused quite the ruckus in all of us today." A soft, but warning voice said. The man who sat casually beside them stared hard at Jet through his round glasses. His light blue eyes suddenly turned ice cold.

"Listen man, all I'm sayin' is we need Virginia to quit the leadership here. She's just an amateur for god's sake! " Jet said to the man.

"Alright, then what do you propose we do if we discard our fine leader here?" The man said softly, adjusting his glasses.

Jet made a sly smirk across his face, "We get a new, better leader. Obviously, we made the wrong decision back in Jolly Roger."

"What…?" Gallows said absent-mindedly, he had his full attention to the situation now.

Virginia's eyes grew wide in shock.

"How about it, people? We vote for who should be the new leader here, other than Virginia. We need someone who knows what the hell he's doin', knows what actions need to be done, and knows what the hell is goin' on." Jet said, still smirking.

"That's quite introspective of you Jet, but are you sure you can handle being the leader?" The man said in doubt.

"Hell man, you serious?! I was talking about you, Clive! I'm not cut out to be responsible for the actions of you idiots. I'm voting for you to be the next head honcho!"

Clive was completely caught off guard. "Wh-what?! Oh dear! You couldn't possibly suggest that I should--"

"I _am_ suggestin' you, Clive. I mean, think about it! Who was the one that always made sure that we were safe when we venture into a dungeon? It was you Clive. Who was the one who can always sense danger a mile away? It was you Clive. Who is the smartest person here? No brainer, it's you Clive. Who was the one that always remained calm and strategic during a crisis? Hell yes, it was you Clive. _Lastly… _Who was the one who always fixed a _certain someone _here'smistake? Damn it! Do I have to keep repeatin' myself?! It-Was-You-Clive!" Jet said.

Clive remained silent and a bit confused. Gallows continued to stare blankly, as if he couldn't comprehend what was going on. Virginia sat silently, looking down at the table.

"Alright, who's up next? What about you Gallows? Who do you think should be the leader here?" Jet said, looking at the Baskar.

Gallows took his time to say anything. Truth be told, he didn't want to vote. He didn't want to hurt Virginia's feelings. He thought that by not saying anything, Jet would eventually turn to someone else. But Jet's cold, purple eyes continued to pierce at him, almost demanding him to give his answer. "Uuuhhh, hmm? Mmm, well I-uh. I kinda like our leader here and I wouldn't change that for anything." Jet's eyes flared silently, "Uhhh! On second thought, I like Clive! So yeah, he's kinda always. . . you know, saving the day and such. He's the strongest person here, ya know? He'd make a hell of a good leader!"

"That's what I wanted to hear. Now… who are you going to vote for, amateur?" Jet said, looking over at Virginia while crossing his arms.

"I…I-" Virginia had never been so hurt in her life. She felt as if her friends had betrayed her. She continued to stare at the table, not looking up. "I agree… Clive is the best choice for being the leader… He should have been the leader from the start… not me…" Virginia said sadly.

"Thank god… someone who agrees with me. Alright Clive, I guess that means that you're the leader now. As it should be." Jet said triumphantly.

"Please wait a moment, doesn't _my_ vote partake in this?" Clive said with concern.

"It really doesn't matter, buddy. If you vote for yourself or not. You're still the new leader. . ." Gallows said, returning to his meal.

"I believe it does matter to me! I strongly believe Virginia can continue providing a safe leadership for all of us! I have faith in her." Clive said, smiling warmly at Virginia. Virginia smiled back at him, mouthing a 'thank you' from across the table.

"Yeah well, it doesn't matter. You're the new leader now. Virginia just doesn't have the skills like you do, man. She'll never amount to anything; she's a nobody." Jet said crossly.

At that point, Virginia couldn't contain her emotions any longer. She burst into tears as she ran out of the saloon. Outside Claiborne, she wept in shame.

"Dear me, Jet. You really are something!" Clive said angrily, standing up abruptly from his chair. He stormed out the saloon after Virginia.

"Sheesh! What's up with them?" Gallows said, with his mouth full of food.

. . . . . .

_I'm such an idiot! Clive really should have been the leader all along!_ Virginia wept bitterly. She was ashamed of her weakness, she was ashamed of herself. Once she looked back, everything Jet said was the truth. It was always Clive who saved the day when Virginia choked up.

_Why… Why do I have to be so weak? I'm so…._

Virginia's tears continued to leak down her face. She was looking at a beautiful red sunset. Her tears reflected the colors of the red-pinkish sky. It was the most beautiful sunset she had seen thus far through her journey. She loved how the light from the sun reflected on the red rocks of the dying desert. The way the colors formed when the light shined on the desert sands. The desert created sort of a reddish glow that was awe striking.

Virginia hugged her knees as she sat weeping silently to herself. The sunset would have been even more beautiful if she could share it with someone. She didn't want to be alone; that was another great weakness of hers. She hated to be all by herself. Virginia had been attached to her father when she was a little girl. Yes, she had always been such a daddy's girl growing up. But she was heartbroken when he suddenly left her as he walked out into the engulfing desert all those years ago. Even more, she was hurt since her mother died and he'd never bothered to return. She missed her mother dearly. Secretly, she missed her father as well; despite the fact that she had burning anger for him. Thinking about her parents made Virginia cry all the more. The tears wouldn't stop falling.

_Doesn't any body care? . . . Doesn't any body care for me at all? No, the ones who love me are gone now. . . Aunt Shalte and Uncle Tesla. . . They still worry about me, but . . . Do they even miss me now. . . or have the forgotten about me? Yes, I suppose no one--_

"Virginia?" A calm, soft voice said from behind.

It startled Virginia. She immediately looked around her, quickly wiping away her tears.

"Clive?! Oh! Um, y-you scared me…" Virginia stuttered as she looked away embarrassed. Her face turned crimson red.

"I apologize. . . I just wanted to see if you were alright." Clive said with concern.

"Um, thank you Clive. I'm alright, really!" Virginia said, trying to sound optimistic.

"Virginia, I'm afraid you're not very good at lying. . ." Clive replied with pity.

"No, I guess I'm not." Virginia sighed, as she slumped her head down in defeat.

"Please, Virginia… Never mind what Jet said. It was uncalled for--"

"No! He's right! Someone as stupid and naïve like me shouldn't be the leader!" Virginia shouted.

Clive didn't say anything.

"I'm so weak minded, I don't know what I'm getting myself into half the time and I always drag all of you into it. . . I'm glad you're the rightful leader now, Clive. Otherwise I would have eventually gotten all of you killed someday, just because I didn't know what I was doing!" Virginia hid her head in her knees as she attempt to hide her tears.

"That's not true, Virginia… You have to look at the positive situations. Weren't you the one who got us out of that predicament back in the Ruins of Memory?"

"That was because I followed your advise, Clive!"

Clive thought back. Indeed, he was the one who told what Virginia should have done. "Yes, well I--"

"I'm always asking you for advise! I'm always asking your opinion on things! And I'm always going to you for protection! I can't stand on my own, don't you see? All this time I have been going to you, asking what I should do next when I have to make the leading decisions."

"Yes, I have took note of that recently." Clive reluctantly admitted.

"See?! You really are the leader here, not me! The only reason why we have lasted this far while I was the leader was because I followed your suggestions. Otherwise, we could've had vultures eating our bodies now out in the desert!"

Clive couldn't help but chuckle at Virginia's last statement. But then he regained control of himself, putting on a sympathetic expression. "Please Virginia, believe me. . . I was true to myself when I said you were a fine leader. I really do have faith in you. . ." Clive's words were sincere as he said them.

He softly stroked Virginia's brown hair in a fatherly affection. Virginia finally peeked up at him with her tear stained face. His light blue eyes made her tender at heart. His warm, serene smile made Virginia blush. She quickly looked away in embarrassment. Clive laughed in response. He wrapped his arms around her in a gentle embrace. He gently wiped her cheek full of tears with his gloved hand.

"I really believe you can make a difference," Clive whispered warmly in her ear. "you're just young is all. You're only a fledging Drifter. We all started out that way and we all made mistakes such as yourself. I was just an amateur just like you when I was your age."

"Jet doesn't believe so. . . He thinks I'm a. . . I'm a jackass."

"Jet _is _jackass."

They both laughed. Virginia continued to smile at him. They both looked at the sunset together.

"Clive? How do you do it? I mean, being so calm and smart as a Drifter?" Deep down, Virginia secretly admired and envied Clive's tranquil disposition. He had a gentle nature to those around him, but he was strong as steel in battle. She wished to be more like him actually.

Clive didn't respond at first, almost as if he was thinking on the question. "Years of experience, I suppose." He flatly said. He continued to stroke her hair.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? Truly one of Filgaia's finest sunsets. . . Don't you agree?" Clive said softly as he adjusted his glasses to gain a better view of the sunset. He stroked back his unruly green hair as he gazed beyond.

"Yes, it is." Virginia whispered in agreement.

They watched until the sun finally disappeared from view, along with the vanishing red sky. Soon after, darkness fell over them and the stars flickered brightly high above them.

"Well, I suppose we shall call it a day?" Clive suggested.

"Yeah, I pretty tired. Let's return to Claiborne." Virginia replied.

As Clive was about to make his way to the town, Virginia stopped him.

"Um, Clive?" Virginia said hesitantly.

"Yes, Virginia?" Clive responded as he turned to her, giving his calm, serene smile. She trembled a little inside. That smile of his secretly happened to be her _other _weak point.

"Um… Thank you, you're a true friend. . ." Virginia said, looking at her feet.

"You're very welcome, Virginia. We all need a little support now and then, I suppose?" Clive turned as he walked away.

_Yes, and thank you for caring for me. . . _

For some reason, Virginia had always felt secured when she was with Clive. He seemed to have an aura of calmness around him that rubs off on others near him. Even more, he always seemed to defend Virginia in any situation, whether it was some thrashing words from Jet or from an ambushing monster. He was sort of like her protector; maybe she saw him as an older brother, maybe she even saw him as . . . a father figure of sorts. Maybe it was something even more than just that. . .

Virginia rushed up to meet Clive as they walked toward Claiborne.

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**A/N:** Okay, I know that somewhat kind of sucked. But I assure you, there is more where that came from! But as I mentioned before, this is my first story, so bare with me! I tried to match each character with their personality from the game as best as I could. So I don't know if I did a great job on that. I don't know how long this story is going to last, I'm just sort of making this up as I write along. I'll work on chapter two eventually. . . If anyone cares. . .


	2. Just a Little Longer

**A/N:** Heh, heh. . . I'm going to continue writing this even though nobody's reading out there. Anyways, from here on out, I'll be switching between the point of views from Virginia to Clive to Jet, and heck. . . I'll probably do Gallows as well too. Mostly it will be coming from Virginia' POV. Alrighty? Then let's do this!!

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Chapter 2: Just a Little Longer. . .

That morning, the three Drifters awaited in the inn of Claiborne. It was early, which meant that one of them, particularly the silver haired boy, was rather irritated.

"Damn it. . . What the hell's takin' her so long?" Jet snapped impatiently. He wasn't much of a morning person.

"She's probably sleeping in. Heck, I do it all the time! And what happens afterwards? A big ol' smackin' from Granny! Boy, you'd think that old lady would lay off me for just one second. . . I'm sure glad I got away from her." Gallows said, looking at a newspaper.

"Let's give her a couple of more minutes. I'll assume she was rather exhausted after that little episode you brought about yesterday, Jet." Clive said, as he took off his glasses to clean them.

Jet grunted. "I don't see why we should. Let's just leaver her! C'mon Clive, you're the leader now, aren't you? We can just dump her here and get movin'!"

"And what do you propose Virginia would do once she found out that we left? Where would she go? A young lady such as her shouldn't be stranded out in the middle of nowhere. Clearly she is not familiar with these parts of the region. Honestly as a leader, I would not dare turn my back on a fellow teammate, especially if its just a young woman."

Jet was at a loss of words for the moment. "I don't see why the hell you put up with her! She's not ready to rough it up with a couple of scoundrels like us."

"Who are you referring to as a scoundrel? I simply see myself as a gentleman, not a scoundrel. It is my duty to protect those around me. And it is an honor and a blessing to see those who are free of harm--"

"Yeah, yeah! Cut the loyal bounty hunter crap for a minute and listen to me. Think of it this way; it's best for her to go home now before she gets seriously hurt in the future. You don't want to see Virginia hurt now, do you Clive?" Jet said, trying to make a sympathetic tone that was obviously fake.

"You're not_ really_ worried about her well-bein' Jet. You just wanna get rid of her is all." Gallows responded, peeking over the newspaper.

"Hell yeah I do! I just want Clive to see it at a different angle. Let's ditch this broad and search for some treasure, time's awastin'! We shouldn't have to deal with somethin' that's gonna slow us down everyday."

"I'm sorry Jet, but I refuse to abandon a handy sharpshooter."

"Wh-what?! _A handy sharpshooter_!? Oh, you gotta be shittin' me!!"

"Good morning everyone! Sorry I'm late, I overslept a little." Virginia said merrily as she ran down the stairs. She put on her cheery smile to fool Jet. She didn't want to show him that she was still hurting inside about what happened yesterday.

"Oh, Virginia. We were waiting for you. Did you have a good sleep?" Clive said softly. He wasn't bothered at all that she was late. Clive smiled warmly at her, his light blue eyes gleaming slightly.

Virginia quickly looked away. She blushed a little. "Oh, um, I sure did Clive. Did. . . Did you have a good sleep as well?"

"Ah, afraid not. Gallows was snoring so loudly, I wouldn't consider it good sleep if you will." Clive replied laughing as he scratched the back of his head, almost in embarrassment. In truth, he was too worried about Virginia the other day to get any rest. He really was tired. It must have shown if Virginia asked. In any case, he was glad to see her back in her usual, upbeat attitude.

"Hah, hah. Very funny Clive, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't snorin' last night. Besides, I don't even snore that loud. I mean, come on!" Gallows said defensively.

Jet snorted. "Yeah right. . . The whole damn town heard ya last night, moron." He mumbled.

**Virginia**

Okay, so we moved on west after we learned that the whole Eternal Sparkle thing became a joke. It wasn't a gem. No, it was some kind of . . . spear? I really didn't know, but were we all pretty shaken up a bit after we saw what it did to that Janus Cascade fella. It was obviously powerful, I didn't want to get involved with that thing. Neither did Clive or the others. So we decided to move on and forget about all that.

I was still crushed on the things Jet said days before. . . But I was even more crushed when we met that Maya girl and her team. She had the nerve to say that I was pretending to be a Drifter. But. . . I really can't blame her. I honestly don't know why I became one. It was only because I wanted to find Daddy. I know. . . It sounds stupid. I just thought that maybe. . .

_Just maybe you were still alive out there somewhere._

It took me quite a while to get up on my own feet again, after what Maya said. I got a little more support from Clive, but just a little. I guess he thinks that I need be the one who needs to get back up on my own.

Jet sure wasn't making it any better either. Whenever I mess up, even just once, he goes ballistic and he constantly yells at me for it. What nerve! Why does he always pick on me? I never did anything to offend him. I guess that's just the way he is. . . Oh well.

Gallows was always cheering me up when I was down. But sadly, I don't think he fully understands the situation at times. He was in his own little world. It must be nice. He was escaping from all of his responsibilities back in Baskar Colony. As for me, I was getting mine slapped in my face. These two guys really don't get me. On the other hand. . .

There was Clive. Out of the three strangers I've met, he was the most I could relate to. He was always so nice to me. . . Even if I screwed up somewhere, he never lost his patience with me. In fact, he even supported me. He. . . He's very sweet. I really like him. He really isn't a bad leader at all! We've been doing great so far. . . A lot more better when I was the leader. He's so intelligent and he's so caring. . . Its hard to believe that this man is even a Drifter! I've always thought that Drifters were tough and mean. But he's quite the opposite; he's soft at heart and I've never seen him get angry this far yet. On occasions, he would give a stern look and a serious tone to Jet whenever he tried to bully me. But other than that he was calm. Just calm. . . He really is something. . . I've never met anyone like him before; other than Daddy.

We decided to stop and make camp somewhere during the evening. We lit a fire and well, we didn't have much to eat. Just Gallows' mystery meat he happened to pick up back in Claiborne. Clive, Jet, and including myself decided to skip out on this one.

"Aww c'mon. . . I don't want to be the only one who has to eat this great meat, do I?" Gallows begged.

"Gee Gallows, I always like to know what something is before I actually eat it. And. . . I don't know what that blob is." I said.

"Yo Seriously, it has a really weird smell and. . . Is that meat actually purple?! Damn Gallows, who the hell did you actually get that from anyways?!" Jet said, looking horrified at the sight of it.

"Roykman. He said he really needed the money and I just couldn't turn the poor guy down. He has helped us along the way. Gotta give him props for that, you know." Gallows said, shoving bits of the oddly colored meat into his mouth.

"Well, it would have been a really smart thing to have asked him what the hell it was first, you moron." Jet said crossly.

"Hey man, you know I can't turn down good grub! Clive here, ya want some?" Gallows mumbled as he shoved the mystery meat in Clive's face.

"Ugh, no really Gallows, it's quite alright! I prefer to know what it is as well." Clive said as he attempted to move his head away. He had a daunt expression on his face.

"Fine with me then. I just hope you guys don't regret it. It really does taste good! The flavor is just so--!" Gallows stopped mid-sentence, then his face turned into a queasy shade of green. "Wh--! Argh--! Oh man. . . I think--! I think I'm gonna hurl. . . !" Gallows could barely speak as he dashed off out of view.

"Half-twit. . ." Jet muttered. "Wait a minute, the stupid moron's runnin' all the way out in the wasteland!? Idiot! There are monsters out there!"

"Jet? Would you kindly assist Gallows over there? I don't want to have our strongest magic user getting ambushed. Oh! And please take this jug of water. I will assume he will be needing it." Clive said in his good-hearted tone.

"What?! You want me to go out there?! Why should I have to go after the idiot when--"

"Aww, what's the matter? You afraid those big, bad monsters are gonna get ya?" I said in the most annoying babyish voice I could possibly make.

Jet looked as if he had been slapped in the face. "Pshhh! As if! I can handle 'em! Just hand me the damn jug." He demanded.

I grabbed the jug, but I didn't hand it over nicely; I threw it at his face. I watch as it bounced off his face, he recoiled as he stumbled backwards. I started to giggle out loud.

_That's what you get for picking on me, you jerk!_

I laughed so hard that I fell over. I lost control of myself. I saw Clive turning his head so Jet couldn't see. He was smiling broadly to himself as he tried to laugh silently. Jet just glared at me, his face turning red. He gritted his teeth and muttered something I couldn't hear, as he stomped off in the darkness. Soon he was out of view.

"My goodness Virginia, that was quite awful of you!" Clive said, still laughing.

"I'm sorry--! I just-- I just couldn't resist!" I tried to say, but my laughing drowned them out.

We stopped laughing after a moment. Once I gained control of myself, I just realized something. . .

_Oh jeeze! I'm alone with him!_

I started to panic for some reason. It was so bizarre. I nervously glanced around, hoping Jet and Gallows would pop into view. But to no avail. Why was I feeling this way?

_Calm down! Calm down, girl! Why are you so anxious?! Its just Clive after all! Why are you so nervous around him?!_

My heart started to beat frantically as I tried to act calm. I silently took a breath and slowly looked at him. He was writing something down. It must have been important, because he had his full attention on it. I was aware that Clive was once an archeologist at some point in his life. He always had that serious look on his face every time he found some kind of historical reference or whenever he was thinking.

I must have been staring at him for several minutes absentmindedly, because all of a sudden, he looked up at me in awareness. Once he looked at me, his serious face melted into a soft one. He smiled that serene, warm smile of his. I panicked inside; my heart jolted.

_Oh crap!_

"Aren't you tired? We've been through a lot today." He said softly, still smiling.

I was paralyzed. "Err--! Um, I mean--! Yeah! I'm beat! Sure can't wait till tomorrow!" Man, I sounded so stupid.

"That's great to hear." He said, his wonderful blue eyes glinted from the fire. He smiled again, returning to his notebook thingy.

"So um, what have you got there Clive?" I said, trying so hard to come up with a subject, so this stupid awkwardness could fade.

"I'm planning out on what we should do tomorrow. . . The clouds. . . Have you notice them? I have a feeling there's going to be a terrible sandstorm tomorrow in mid-day. I'm trying to plan to see if we can get to the nearest town before that hits. We can be sheltered there until it passes over. But it's quite a ways. . . The nearest town I'm afraid, is Little Twister. And that could take awhile to get there. Yes, I'm afraid by that time, the storm will hit us. We'll need to be extremely cautious. It is very easy for one to get lost while traveling through those storms."

_Always thinking ahead, aren't you?_

"I see. . . You're--You're so prepared for anything, huh?"

"Why, thank you. I have to be. . . Now that I'm the lead--" He paused and suddenly looked down.

"It's okay Clive! I really don't mind that you're the leader now!" I said cheerfully. It was the truth. I really did like having him for a leader. "I wouldn't want anyone else."

"My, that's very kind of you Virginia." He said, embarrassingly.

_Are you blushing?! That's so cute!_

I hid my face away and squealed a little inside.

"UUUGGGHHH!!"

"ARGH!! GALLOWS!! YOU BASTARD! YOU JUST PUKED ALL OVER ME!! WHAT THE HELL MAN!? I AM SO GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!!"

"Ah. . . The runaway duos have finally returned." Clive said with a sigh.

"Oh. . . . Yeah." I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

I just wanted to be alone with him for a while longer.

Just alone with him a little longer. . .

Just a little longer. . .

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A/N: Oh jeeze, Virginia?! What are these emotions overcoming you?! Sheesh! You would think a girl would know when someone was waaay outta her league. But lets give her a break. She doesn't know what's ahead of her. . . yet. Well, I'm out peoples! I'll write chapter 3 sometime, in case anyone is interested. . .

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	3. Glimmering Hope in the Darkness

**_A/N:_ **Hello? (echoes), (echoes) Is there anyone out there? (echoes) Nobody? Hmmm. . . Oh well, I'm still writing peoples'! As you probably have known, I have been writing a chapter every day. I'm really optimistic, aren't I? So here we are today. . . Chapter 3!!

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_**Chapter 3: Glimmering Hope in the Darkness**_

**Virginia**

_Hmm. . . Is that so? A sandstorm you said? . . . always planning ahead, aren't you?_

_"Why, thank you. Its the price to pay when you're the leader."_

_"Wait a minute, you can hear my thoughts?!"_

_"Virginia . . . I don't know what to say. . . I . . . I've never been through this dilemma with another woman before. . ."_

_"What?. . . What do you mean another woman?"_

"Virginia."

_"Please try to understand. . ."_

_"What are you talking about Clive? You're not making any sense!"_

"Hey. . . HEY!"

_"Ugh! Why are you poking me for? Who's poking me?!"_

_"Virginia. . . You will always remain a special person to me but. . . I'm afraid--"_

"Hey, wake up already!"

_"Wait, I can't hear you anymore. . . What are you trying to say?"_

"Alright damn it. If you're not gonna wake, then I guess you won't mind if I do. . . THIS!"

"Ouch!"

A throbbing, sharp pain came to my ribs. Making me gasp for air when I lost my breath. I woke up immediately.

"Heey! Why did you do that for?!" I peered around to see my assaulter.

No surprise; it was Jet.

"Took ya long enough, moron." He said, crossing his arms.

"Don't call me a moron, and how dare you kicked me! You would hit a girl? That's low, even for you Jet." I snapped at him.

"Whatever. Just hurry up and get ready! Clive's anxious to move on for some reason."

I froze for a minute when he said his name, remembering that weird dream I just had. "Wh-where is he?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"He's over there somewhere." He said, pointing far off over the dunes. "Guess he's checking the weather or somethin'. He seemed kinda worried. Gallows went with him"

"Oh, I see." I took a good view of what was around me. The sky was covered with brown clouds. The sun was barely visible through them. It made sort of an ominous shine over the wasteland, which was kind of eerie. It was a little windy, making me shiver a bit.

Jet continued to stare at me rudely. I paid him no attention. But he still continued to glare at me and it annoyed me to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore.

"What? Why are you starin' at me so much?!" I said in an irritable tone.

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "You've earned that kick I gave ya, you know. Pay back for throwin' that jug at me last night." It was all he responded. Sounded as if that was the first thing he could think of to say.

"I was only kidding around. You didn't need to take it so personal, sheesh. Besides, serves you right for yelling at me all the time!" I said defensively.

"Yeah, yeah! Just--Stay outta my way from now on, you hear?!"

"What?! How could I be the one gettin' in your way when you're the one who's constantly pickin' on me all the time?!" I screamed.

"The only reason I keep bitchin' at you is because you're the only one outta the four of us that just keeps screwin' up! And I am so damn tired of it!" Jet said, his voice getting louder as he spoke.

Oohh, he really gets on my nerves!

Just then, two figures appeared into view. There was a giant one, Gallows no doubt, who was whistling a carefree tune. Boy, he sure was optimistic. And the smaller figure was. . . . . him.

He looked very serious and worried. He had a determined expression on his face.

"Hey, Virginia! You're awake now. Good thing too, 'cause we were about to head on outta here!" Gallows said in a cheerful mood. Obviously, his illness had passed over from that mystery meat last night.

"I hope you two are ready. We need to move on quickly." Clive said in a serious tone. I didn't like the sound of that. . .

**Clive**

_Oh my. . . I did not like the looks of this. . . _

As I gazed beyond the decaying land, the clouds have suddenly turned dark, the horizon appeared to be black with dust whipping away in the strong breeze.

Surly a storm was brewing. . . It was just as I predicted, I 'm afraid.

"Whoa! Would you look at that?! Never did see somethin' like this in the weather before." Gallows said excitedly.

I sighed, "We will have to leave immediantly. This is not going to be a pleasant trip." I feared for the health of my companions, especially Virginia. I'm certain she has never witness something such as this.

I wasn't particularly worried about Jet. I know he can take care of himself, for I was aware that he has been a Drifter for quite sometime now. I assume he is skilled enough to have some knowledge on what the life of a Drifter truly is. Yet he is known to be overly confident and tends to act recklessly at times. Despite me being the leader, he usually takes the matters into his own hands, even though I offer some highly recommended suggestions. The fact is that he's just too wild to be tamed. . . He just doesn't want to listen to anyone. I fear that this behavior of his could jeopardize our entire team one of these days. . .

Gallows is a kind hearted young man. I received the least amount of complaining from him. And I appreciated the fact that he always lightened the mood when tensions were high between Virginia and Jet. Although I'm afraid he's rather oblivious to his surroundings. Unawareness can truly be hazardous for all of us in the near future. For such a skilled magic user, I was rather shocked to learn that he ran away from his heritage of becoming the next high priest. I would have imagined that would have been such a high honor. Why would he turn his back on his own people? It would be no wonder why his grandmother, Halle, disfavors him so. On the other hand, we were quite fortunate to have such a skilled Arcana user on our team. Perhaps it was fate that brought him on that train that night. . . Just as Virginia said.

Yet there was her as well. . .the only female out of our little band of Drifters. Virginia is also the youngest and the most. . .well, inexperienced. I worry about her safety all the time. I know she's only starting out, yet I can't help but fret about her. She is still so young and blissfully ignorant that I must keep an extra eye on her. Sometimes I wonder whether she knows how harsh the Drifter life really is. Perhaps she took this into mind when she made the decision to become one? Nevertheless, it's truly none of my business on what her primary intention was to become a Drifter in the first place.

I laugh to myself sometimes. . . When I observe Virginia, she reminds me a lot of Kaitlyn; getting into trouble without expecting it. I truly do miss her right now. . and Catherine too. How fortunate I was to find myself such a patient woman. Even though I was away most of the time, she never did grow impetuous with me. I love my family dearly, and I am determined to make a better future for them. I will strive to make Filgaia a better place for them whatever means necessary. It is because of them that I continue on everyday.

"That monster storm is gonna be a real nightmare when it hits us. Time to get flyin'!" Gallows said all of a sudden, breaking my stream of consciousness.

As we walked back towards camp, I could hear Jet's shouting, "The only reason I keep bitchin' at you is because you're the only one outta the four of us that just keeps screwin' up! And I am so damn tired of it!"

_Oh dear. . . Another quarrel between the two of them. Will this ever stop?_

"Uh, oh! Looks like all hell's breakin' loose again!" Gallows muttered to me as he began to whistle.

"Yes. . . It would have appeared so." I said, exhaustedly.

. . . . . .

It was noon time and the storm had already hit us; we were covered in darkness by the blowing wind. The dusts began to strike us violently; whipping against our stinging flesh. It was nearly impossible for me to keep my eyes open because of the sands. I thought my glasses would act as a shield for my eyes, but to no avail. As a result, I couldn't see where I was going. There was no light to guides us; the sun was soon engulfed into the black clouds. This was portentous, for the others remarkably depended on me to lead them to safety. If I could not keep my eyes open, I'm afraid I could lose my way while I was leading them. This thought filled me with uneasiness. Could I possibly be leading my dear companions into their dooms?

We needed to stick together, so I reached out to the person nearest me. I grabbed a hand, it was rather petite. Virginia, I'll assume. She tightly grabbed on to me dearly as she hid her face into my chest. It felt as if she was. . .trembling? From the cold or from the whipping sands, I wouldn't know.

"We'll have to hold hands so we won't get sep--!" I tried to yell, but the screaming from the wind drowned my voice out.

"What?!" Gallows bellowed.

"I said--!"

"_WHAT?! _I can't hear you!!"

"Gallows!! Listen to me!! Grab on to Virginia's hand and, Jet! Grab onto Gallows' hand!"

"_Are you kiddin' me_?! I'm not touchin' _his_ hand! I ain't no faggot, damn it!!"

"Jet, please!! This isn't the time! For once, just listen to me!!"

To my relief, he did what he was told, reluctantly. Virginia grasped onto my hand tightly all of a sudden. I was a little surprised, but that wasn't important now.

As I opened my eyes, a sudden gust of sand thrashed against my cheek. Immediantly I felt the severe burning, that I stumbled. I had to let go of Virginia for that moment to regain my balance. Afterwards, I grasped for her hand. But it felt oddly larger and bigger than before. In any case, after what seemed to be an eternity in the storm, I manage to find some buildings; it was Little Twister. How fortunate fate has been to us! I immediantly lead them there with haste. I let go of Virginia's hand and faced her to see if she was alright. . . Only to find that It _wasn't_ her.

"G-Gallows?!" I felt fear striking a blow inside of me.

"Yeah. . . ?" He responded dully.

"Wh-where is Virginia?!" I stammered.

"Um………Hey, Jet? Have you seen…..?" Gallows looked awkwardly towards Jet.

Jet merely looked around him. She wasn't behind him.

"Oh my god. . . . She's still out there!!" I ran back into the threatening sandstorm "No matter what happens, don't come after me no matter how long I take!! Just wait here until after the storm passes over!! I'll return with Virginia, I promise!!" I shouted over my shoulder.

The storm appeared to be much more worst than before. I didn't know where to begin searching; she could have been anywhere. What's worst, I could barely contain my eyes to be open. I began to travel farther out into the black wasteland. After what seemed to be for several hours, I began to lose all hope. It was darker, so dusk must have arrived. Which meant that it was impossible to barely see a few feet away from me. For once, I truly felt that I was lost. . .

But as I staggered through the darkness, I found something. A lone person cringing a few distance away from me. It was Virginia. I ran towards her, not caring whether the wind blew harder against my face. I was relieved to have found her. I crouched down and embraced her tightly; shielding her from all possible injuries from the storm. She wrapped her arms tightly around me, burying her face into my chest once again.

We had no choice but to withstand the storm right there at that moment. It would have been the wisest decision rather than looking for a way back to Little Twister, now that the storm appeared to have reached its climax. I continued to shield Virginia with my body. I could feel the windy sands lashing against my back. The dust I felt in my eyes made them watery. The wind howling in my ears as the sand whipping them. The sand continued to violently thrash against my face, but even more harder than before. I felt the severe burning of my flesh, all over my body; but if that meant protecting Virginia, I would have withstand it forever, just to protect her. It was my duty to protect my companions whatever means necessary as a leader.

After the climax of the sandstorm had past, I encouraged Virginia to follow me. I honestly did not know where to lead, for it was completely dark now. The storm continued to be harsh, but not as bad as before. I wouldn't give into despair however, so I continued to stagger westward. . . Just hoping we would eventually reach Little Twister.

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A/N: Okay, we all hope that Clive and Virginia aren't totally screwed, but seriously, it's getting late and I need to tune out. Sorry peoples, but this isn't originally where this chapter is supposed to end, but I'm tired and I'm sure it's pretty long enough already. So let's cut it here and I'll continue this some other time….


	4. The New Destination

**A/N: **Hazaa! Here's another chapter. Clearly I have nothing better to do, so I'm just going to continue on writing this story. . . .maybe. I just got out of school, so I'm practically free for this summer. Wait no, I have summer homework, need to prepare for the ACT, and get a job. Damn, that's a pain. Oh well, anyways, this here chapter is dedicated to a _special someone _out there. . . Hope your reading this now ;) You better or else. . . (flaming eyes)!! Here we go peoples'!

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**Chapter 4: The New Destination**

**Clive**

It was terribly cold, and we still couldn't manage to find the town in the vast wasteland. It was already dark and I couldn't tell how long we've been walking through the never ending sandstorm. Virginia was clearly exhausted, for she kept stumbling. I had to pull her up each time she fell over to support her. Much of my energy had drained out of me as well, from wandering through the storm the whole day. I was starting to get desperate; we couldn't possibly continue on through the entire night. We needed to rest.

I could barely detect a forlorn landscape ahead of us. As we got closer, I could see an opening that appeared to be a cave. How fortunate we were once again! I gave my last effort to lead Virginia inside the dark cave where the dusty wind had finally stopped slapping fiercely against our bodies. It was small, but sufficient enough to keep us out of the storm. But at that point, my strength had finally relinquished from my body as I collapsed right there.

**Jet**

Damn it. . . They're late. And it was already pitch-black outside. There was no way the sniper and the rookie were still plannin' to come here. Me and Gallows were waitin' for them in an inn.

"Oh man, this is bad." Gallows said.

_No shit. Of course this was bad, you idiot._

"They won't be comin' tonight. Best option now is to get some rest rather than just waitin' for them to pop up." I said.

"Yeah but, don't you think we should go lookin' for them? I mean, c'mon man, we're still a team y'know? We need to offer a helpin' hand whenever a fellow team member needs one--"

"You heard what the man said, 'don't go lookin' for me, no matter how long I take.' We need to honor what the bounty hunter says. If he want's to risk his own life on some scrawny, little chatterbox, then that's his problem. In the mornin', I'm gonna continue on with or without you guys. You know I'm constantly on the move. Besides, we're practically dead guys by goin' out in that storm at this time of night. Might as well commit suicide instead."

I began to walk towards my room to get some shut eye when Gallows had the nerve to say to me, "You know what Jet? I'd never would have thought that you were _this_ coldhearted. You're just gonna get some sleep now without even worryin' about Clive and Virginia?!"

I turned around, "Yeah? What's it to ya? I could practically sleep like a baby without even carin' whether all of you were alive or not." I spat at him.

Gallows just looked at me as if I slapped him in the face or somethin'. I continued to my room where I placed my prized ARM beside my bed, turned off the light and tried to drift off into a well needed sleep. . . .but I couldn't.

_That Virginia pisses me off so bad. It's her fault that Clive's always stretchin' his neck out for her. He was a swell guy and everythin', but too bad. . . .that amateur had him and herself killed today. Stupid girl. . . I told the sniper to leave her behind before things turned ugly, but nope, didn' want to listen to me. . . That's just too damn bad. . . . . . .But, why can't I get any sleep already?! Damn. . .don't tell me that I'm worried about them!_

I immediately turned on the light as I sat up in my bed. "Arggh! C'mon! I can't be troubled over that Virginia!" I shouted to myself.

I laid back down, placin' my hands behind my head. "Well, I guess she's _just _a girl after all. . . Girls are generally weaker than boys, so she needs all the comfort that she needs. But girls shouldn' even be Drifters in the first place! It's a guy thing only! Whatever. . .that's her problem, I don't care. . . .but she's always so full of energy; never tired at all. You can't be lazy as a Drifter, and she never is. . .I kinda like that. Huh, never noticed before, but Virginia is pretty cute when a light shines. . . . .Wait a minute--?! _I think Virginia is cute_?! What the hell am I sayin' dammit!?"

**Virginia**

_Oh jeeze! What am I going to do?!_

I frantically pulled out one of my tinder crests and flung it toward the darkness of the cave. The burning embers of the crest lit up the entire cave. It wasn't that large and luckily there weren't any monster in here to worry about. So I used another crest to light a fire.

But then Clive apparently passed out just now and I tried to wake him to see if he was hurt. I got a clear view of him; his face was red and blotchy from the gusty dirt. He even had bruises! He came back for me. . . .he even protected me from the storm out there. That was really sweet of him. . .

I was so scared. Once he let go of my hand, I tried to reach for him, but then I let go of Gallows' hand in panic. Just then, I lost him too and I began to run ahead of me to see if I could find them. I just remembered running around in the wasteland trying to find them the whole time. . . . It was really frightening. But after awhile, Clive came to my rescue! I was utterly surprised but relieved he found me. I wrapped my arms around him, saying "You came back!" but I didn't think he heard me, because of the wind.

He groaned as he slowly tossed around, almost as if he was having a nightmare. I wanted to help him so badly, but there was really nothing I could do. . . I reached for the jug of water that I luckily carried and splashed a little of it on his face to see if he would wake. He got up eventually; it worked! Yippee!

Clive rubbed his eyes and tried to wipe away the wet dirt on his face. He took awhile to open his eyes, then finally spotting me. "Virginia. . . . You're safe. . thank goodness." he said wearily. He tried to smile, but it was pretty weak.

I grinned at him, "Clive, you came back for me. . .thank you for saving me."

"Virginia, I would not leave you behind for a minute. How could you even possibly think that I would abandon you like that? I pledge my loyalty to you back in Jolly Roger, remember?" He said calmly.

I had never been so touched. "Yes, I remember. . . .gosh, you're such a good friend." I said, trying to hide my emotion.

He merely smiled at me. His face was still covered in dust, and his glasses were pretty filthy too. He stroke his hand through his hair to wipe out all the dirt. "Well, I suppose we don't have any other option but to rest here for the night." He said softly. He then took off his glasses in order to clean them.

It wasn't until then that I noticed that I had never seen him without his glasses before. His eyes were no longer the beautiful, blue color, but now bloodshot and watery red. Despite that, his face actually looked kind of cute! Suddenly remembering my awkwardness around him, I panicked inside.

_Oh crap. . . I'm stuck here alone with him for the night. . . _

I shook off the feeling and tried to remember how things were when I first met him; when I wasn't experiencing this stupid, weird feeling. I remembered I was actually pretty comfortable around him.

"Do you. . . Do you need any help with anything Clive?" I asked, hoping I would be helpful with something since I caused most of the trouble today.

"No, it's quite alright Virginia, I'm fine now." He said. I felt a little disappointed. "I am rather exhausted. . . You should get some rest as well, and pray that the storm won't be so harsh tomorrow when we join the others."

I was a little bummed out. I was hoping we could talk for a little while about. . .anything I guess. "Oh, okay then." I lied down on the hard, freezing rocks of the cave. _Golly, this is comfy. _There was no way I could possibly get any sleep this way, I was freezin'!

I shivered a little until I felt something thick and warm cover me, like a blanket. I looked up and saw that Clive put his long, overcoat on top of me. He spotted me looking at him and then he smiled.

"Wait--! No Clive! Really! You've done enough for me already! You don't have to--"

"It's alright Virginia," he said gently, once again smiling in that serene warm way.

I couldn't argue with him at that point. That smile immediately melted me away from saying anything. He went back to his spot and rested against the rocks, gazing at the fire, then slowly he closed his eyes. _Man I felt like such a jerk! _He's always making sure that I'm alright, or that I'm careful, or that I am satisfied with something. _How am I ever going to repay him back?_

Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.

**Clive**

I woke up early to find that it was horrendously chilly. I wrapped my arms around myself and rubbed for friction to regain warmth. Unfortunately, my eyes were still rather sore from yesterday. This was perhaps the worst night I had possibly endured. I was still exceedingly dreary. I peeked over at Virginia to see that my coat had successfully kept her warm throughout the night; I was glad. I smiled to myself as I knelt down beside her and gently nudged her to wake up, just as I always had done to Kaitlyn. She moaned and groggily opened her eyes. She seemed rather shocked to see me for some odd reason, as she jolted up with wide eyes. This peculiar behavior of hers has been questioning me for quite some time now. . .

"Uh! Morinin'!" She said swiftly.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Yep, sure did!"

_I am relieved one of us did. . . _

"Good news, the storm has quieted down and now we can depart for Little Twister to meet with Gallows and Jet. We should get going before it acts up again." I informed her.

"Okay then! . . . . Oh, h-here you go Clive, thanks again. . ." She said timidly as she handed me my coat.

"Ah! I appreciate that, Virginia." I said, content that I received it back. I gleefully put it back on. "Right then, let us continue on."

**Gallows**

_Gee. . . I really hope that Virginia and Clive are doin' alright. . . _

I was practically pacin' back and forth on the outskirts of the town. Even though the storm went down, I had no idea if I should go out there and search for them or to wait here. If I did go out there and happened to find 'em, I'm bettin' Clive would be pretty pissed that I didn't listen to him. I never did see him like that, but I ain't makin' any chances with that! I paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

"Would you sit still already?! You're makin' me nervous!" Jet complained beside me.

"Hey, surprised to see you're still here, runt." I said, still angry with him for sayin' all those things last night. "I thought you'd be long gone by now."

He grunted. "Well--I just want to see just how really amazing this bounty hunter is, like everyone says. I want to see for my own damn eyes. . . As for Virginia, I--" Jet paused for a strange reason.

I looked at him in curiosity. "What? So you can meet her and say that you love her or somethin'?" I said sarcastically. I just wanna say somethin' to get on his nerves.

"Wh-what?! Pshhh! Not even! I just want to bitch at her some more for causin' all this trouble!" He responded rather quickly, as he crossed his arms.

"Uh-huh, sounds like love to me." I said, returnin' to search around the dunes for the sight of them.

"You shut the hell up!"

Just then, two undoubtedly people I knew came bobbin' into view.

"Well I'll be damned. . . .There back! Hallelujah!!" I hollered as I picked up the scrawny brat and paraded around in celebration.

"Dammit, Gallows! Put me down or I'll give you an ass whippin'!" He yelled in my ear.

"I don't care, Granny does that to me all the time. Besides, Clive and Virginia are safe!"

**Clive**

I was utterly relieved to find Gallows skipping around the entrance of the town as he foolishly carried the cursing Jet. I welcomed them with a familiar smile. Virginia dashed ahead of me towards Gallows.

"Well howdy there, strangers! I imagine y'all want to rest up in this here town." Gallows said lively to her in an accent that was native around here.

"Howdy! I sure reckon' we would!" Virginia responded cheerfully, as they grabbed each others' hands and began to skip and swing around in circles like little children. I sighed and laughed to myself.

"Look at 'em. . . They're actin' like idiots!" Jet muttered beside me.

**. . . . . . **

We decided to gather leads on where we should head next. We split up to search and to ask the townspeople. This town was surprisingly lawless, for the sheriff even feared the rambunctious Drifters. I figured the saloon would be the most beneficial place to start, considering other Drifters usually inhabited the place. As I began to walk there, I accidentally rammed into a young woman around my age.

"Oh my, I apologize!" I said quickly so she wouldn't be offended, "Are you alright miss?"

"Oh. . .how kind of ya to apologize, mister. You're quite the lively gentleman! Don't get much of those around these parts. . ." She had a frail, almost helpless sounding voice. She gazed up and me and smiled coquettishly, slightly arching her body towards me so I would gain a better view of her. . . . . . .?

She giggled playfully as she attempted to flirt with me. "Were are ya from, brave Drifter? Ah don't think Ah've ever seen you around before. . .Y'all mighty classy for a ruffian. . ." she said coyly as she caressed my arms. She wore a rather flamboyant dress. Judging by her appearance, she might have been a performer at the saloon, or a dancer. . . . . . .or a harlot.

_Good lord, I did not want to have to deal with something like this. . .What would Catherine possibly say?_

"Oh I'm just passing by. Now if you excuse me, I have some rather pressing matters to attend to--" I said hastily as I attempted to escape her as fast I could, but she grabbed my arm and playfully tugged on it.

"Oh please don't be in such a hurry, brave Drifter. . . Why don't y'all stay with me for the day?. . .Shucks, Ah'll even buy you a drink at the saloon, mister. . . Ah'll make it worth ya while, sugar. . ."

I kindly pulled my arm away to give her the hint that I wasn't interested. I sighed and adjusted my glasses. "Miss, I'm sorry, but the fact is. . . . . _I'm already taken_." I whispered to her.

"Oh my! And Ah thought you were single, too! Just my luck. . ." she said disappointedly. "Well, if that's all. Y'all a Drifter, right? So Ah imagine that y'all lookin' for some leads, huh? Well, here's one; there's a ruin due north of here called the _Unclean Mark_. . . We just had one of our saloon girls kidnapped and the owner is sure that she was taken there. . . There's bound to be some treasure there too! But beware honey, they say that no one has ever made it back alive. . . They don't call it the unclean mark for nothin'! Ah'd be careful if Ah were you mister. The saloon owner would be most grateful if y'all could fetch her back."

_Astonishing; I do believe we had found our next destination. . . _

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A/N:

Alright, that was _thee _longest chapter I've ever written non-stop! Well let's end it here! And please, feel free to write your comments!! 


	5. The Seductive Death Trap

**A/N: **Alrighty! I haven't been working on this story in awhile because I was concentrating on a chapter I was working on for my other story. Plus, I didn't think anyone would care if I wrote one or not. But in any case, I have more fun writing this story than the other one because I get to swear a lot when I write Jet's point of view! I know some people are reading this somewhere. . . Oh!** And I want to thank El Dorado out there for encouraging me to continue writing, thanks! So to you my friend, this chapter is for you!!**

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**Chapter 5: The Seductive Death Trap**

**Gallows**

Yeah. . . Had to share a room last night with Jet, and you could've only imagine what that was like! The stupid runt had the nerve to make fun of my snorin'?! Well, you weren' sleepin' like an angel either, buddy! Man I swear, couldn' get any ounce of shut eye thanks to that squirt! Anyways, in the mornin' Clive suddenly found a lead from the other day from some tart. Oh man, me and Jet were givin' him such a hard time! We laughed so much at how some prostitute was trying to pick him up. Boy, it was hilarious! I knew he was pretty pissed, even though he tried to hide it. His face got so red, that we made fun o' him all the more! He tried to say that it wasn' a harlot and that she was some performer from the saloon. Yeah right! We saw the whole thing from a distance, on how she tried to toy with him. So don't even try to say otherwise buddy! Anyways, we had breakfast over at the saloon and discuss the same ol' crap before headin' out.

"C'mon man, you should be proud that someone out there was into you." I said to Clive across the table.

"Please, let's just try to put that aside already! We need to discuss today's agenda. Let's just be serious for once!" He begged.

"You gotta listen' to the moron, Clive. I mean, it wouldna hurt just have fun with her for a minute. Every guy needs to loosen up once in awhile!" Jet said, tryin' to hide his laughter.

"Y'know? I've gotta agree with the little twerp for once. You need to have fun every now and then as a guy. I mean, you're always so damn serious. . . .it may just be the thing you need." I snorted, trying so hard to keep the laughter from erupting from my chest.

"That is not the type of hobby that I'm interested in as a man." Clive responded, trying to remain calm.

"What?! Holy shit, don't tell me that you're a virgin!!" Jet snickered loudly.

"Awwww man!! That's pretty sad! You can't consider yourself a man if you haven't lost your virginity there yet, buddy!!" I hollered, I can feel the ale workin' its effect on me now.

"That is not the case! Besides, how do you know that I haven't forsaken my chastity?! Clearly you don't know much about my past yet, so I would refrain from going into that subject if you mind! That is a personal matter of mine. . . ."

"_Oh my god_. . . . . !! Don't tell me that you're gay!! _Dammit_!! I knew I shoulda have just stolen the damn Ark Scepter on the train from you punks and scattered while I had the chance!! Arrgh!! You are a disgrace to all men on Filgaia!!" Jet howled.

Man I just started to bust out laughing! I banged my fist on the table as I lost my control. Yeah, that ale was sure the good stuff! "Who would've thought?! The so-called famous, strong bounty hunter everyone's heard about turned out to be a feministic wuss?!"

Clive just sat there tryin' to keep his cool, but I saw the daggers in his eyes. Maybe we shoulda have just stop at that point, but I was too seriously drunk to know otherwise.

"That's enough! What did Clive do to any of you guys?! He's the one who's trying to make sure we're always prepared for anything, and this is how you repay him?!" A soft toned voice said all of a sudden. I looked around and I saw Virginia there lookin' all serious. I sort of forgot she was here, so I was a little surprised. "You all need to grow up and start actin' your age! Come on Gallows, you're what? Twenty-four years old and you're still runnin' around chasin' women and drinkin'? Shouldn't you be a man for once and go deal with your responsibilities, like going back to Baskar Colony and take on the job as head priest like you're supposed to?! What about your brother Shane? Doesn't he need you most? But you're still wandering around with us when your village needs you! You must be a real coward if you're forsaking your tradition and abandoning your people!!" She shouted.

Man, that sort of hurt me. . . . She didn't need to go _that _far. . . But hey, can't argue with her, that is all the truth. . . I really do need to prepare for priesthood and lead my colony. . . . But heck, I didn't ask for all this! I just wanna travel the world and be free! I didn't ask to be the next elder who should be responsible for my whole people!! They just sort of shoved the decision in my face before I was even born! I never had a choice. The sad part is. . .I'm not even interested in my culture. I always hated sitting there while Granny lectured me all day about the ways of the Baskar tribe in her sermons. I tried to explain to her that I wasn' interested and I wanted to travel, but she gets all mad at me! "You are destined for great things, and yet you would throw it all away to become some riffraff wandering around in the wasteland?!" She would say. Man it's frustrating. . . . Why should I lead my people when all they say to me as a kid that I was a good-for-nothin'? They always made fun of me and said I was irresponsible. . .

One day I couldn' take it anymore. . . . I had to run away. I couldn' stand the pressure of it all. Months later, I heard the Ark Scepter Granny was lookin' for happened to be on a train. Heck, I was plannin' on making off with it and sell it for some serious gella. Yeah. . . We all know how _that_ turned out.

"And you're not even responsible for yourself!" Virginia continued. I was in my own little world to be payin' attention. "Fine then, if you guys aren't going to be serious, Clive and I will go by ourselves. You can join us once you've matured a bit. Let's go Clive!"

"Yeah, I bet you can't _wait_ to be alone with him, huh Virginia?" Jet grunted, crossing his arms. Virginia froze for some reason and her eyes grew wide. "Looks like Virginia here found herself a boyfriend! Huh, the duo pistol wielder and the sniper. . . Cute couple!" He sneered. Virginia's face grimaced as she stormed outta the saloon. Clive gave his warnin' look at Jet and, he even did it to me for the first time! Before he walked out.

"Whoa, wait a minute man! You're just gonna leave us here?! Aww c'mon! We've never separated since we joined!"

**Virginia**

I walked out of Little Twister, furious at Jet's remark, and Clive caught up to me soon afterwards. We made our way north toward this Unclean Mark. It was quite a ways to walk, but Clive and I remained silent along the way. I know he was irritated after what happened back at the saloon. I gave a quick glance over in his direction. His face was very serious, not angry, but the kind of serious that was scary to look at. I know that he wasn't the kind of guy that would just explode from fury, but I think his wrathful silence was far worse than that. I wanted to comfort him; make him feel better, but I was a little scared that he would be too angry.

"Um, Clive?" I dared to speak. "Are. . . Are you okay?"

"Yes Virginia, I'm just fine." He said firmly. Still looking ahead, walking briskly.

I remained silent after that, but I took the risk of talking again. "Just forget about those losers! Gallows just had a little too much to drink, you know he isn't really like that. As for that Jet, well, its like you said before; he is a jackass!" I said, trying to lighten the mood. Clive just continue to look ahead of him, not showing any emotion. "I'll. . . I'll never make fun of you. . . No matter what, I'll always stand by your side! . . . . . I'll never betray you in any way Clive." And that was the truth.

He looked over at me for a second, then smiled. "Thank you Virginia, I really appreciate that." He said warmly, his light blue eyes shined through his glasses.

_Yay! I made him smile again!_

I was still angry at what Jet said. . . But he's right; I really couldn't wait to be alone with _him_ again.

**Jet**

Well thanks to the stupidity of this big oaf beside me and my big mouth, the amateur and the sniper are pissed at us. Couldn' even keep their cool. . . Me and Gallows decided to rush up to join them as we left the town. There was no damn way I was just gonna sit back while they rescue some broad, then claiming the reward for themselves. It won't be much if we were to split it, but hell, it's better than nothing! Gotta cash in while you had the chance! We were walkin' across the desolated wasteland, and damn, it was hotter than hell! I had to listen to the moron's yappin' the whole time, to make things worst.

"Man, they couldn' even take a joke, sheesh! I swear, Clive is one of those guys that hardly loses his temper, but if he does. . . . Boy that would be a sight to see! Heck, I'd be pretty scared!" Gallows said, restin' his hands behind his head as we walked.

"Well, that's his problem." I responded, not even the least concern about him. My mind was elsewhere; I was thinkin' about Virginia. The way she stood up for Clive, the way she defended him. . . And the way she expressed it. . . . Why did that bother me?

_I swear, she shows the most passion for him outta the three of us. . . I wonder, does she really like. . . .? Hell no!! I mean, he's waay older than she is! He's like, thirty-years-old or somethin'! And she's just a stupid, little teenager! . . . . But the way she always looks at him. . . It's different from the way she looks at us. . . Damn, why am I so caught up in this?! I don't even like the girl._

"Hey, you know what? I heard from someone about that Janus Cascade guy? Well, He was originally from Little Twister! Who would've thought!"

"Yeah, that's interesting." I said, not even payin' attention.

"But you know what else is on my mind? Have you ever notice that Clive never was interested in the pretty women we pass by in every town? He is sort of good-lookin' once you really look at him. I mean, you saw the way that tart was checkin' him out, right? So why has he been avoidin' all these beautiful women? There has to be a reason. Women _that_ gorgeous are irresistible to ignore. . ."

"Hell man, I don't know. To tell you the truth, I was startin' to get suspicious myself. . . Do you really think that he is gay?" I said, as he caught my attention.

"I don't think so. If he really was gay, then he would have tried to hit on one of us by now, especially me! C'mon, I am pretty good-lookin'!" Gallows ran both hands through his long brown hair, makin' it wave through the air in slow motion, as he tossed his head back and forth like some sort of male model.

"Oh _please_. . ." I muttered to myself. I was startin' to hate Clive. . . I know that there shouldn' be any reason to. He was a nice, easy-to-get-along-with guy, but something started to make me hate him all of a sudden, after what Virginia did for him back at the saloon. . . I wonder why.

**Clive**

As Virginia and I reached the entrance of the ruins, I stopped her before we continued any further.

"Please, let us be careful! The fact about these ruins is that those who have entered have never came out. We need to be extra cautious. I am certain that this place is full of traps." I warned her.

"Okay! Understood!" She said merrily. I smiled at her, knowing that she wasn't afraid of stepping into the dangers that awaited.

Just as we were about to enter, two unlikely people showed up.

"Yo wait up!! I'm not just about to let you idiots get all the glory!! We want in on the reward!!" Jet yelled, as he and Gallows ran up to us.

"Heh, heh. . . Sorry about earlier you two, I kinda had a little too much to drink. Gotta loosen up when there's a full day ahead of us." Gallows said embarrassingly, as he scratched his head.

"That's alright Gallows, I just hope you two know that you're in for quite a challenge. . ." I said forgivingly. I was not the type to hold grudges, that was a little too childish for me.

As our team finally reassembled, we ventured into the dungeon; it was fairly dark, but light enough to see what was around us. Nothing as expected; just some carved pillars that held up the ceilings. The ruins were consisted of stone.

"Be careful everyone, we must keep our eyes peeled at all times." I kindly warned again.

We turned around a corner into the next room, when we found something least expected; a young woman. No doubt it was the missing woman from Little Twister. How odd it was to find her all alone. . .

"Oh, valiant Drifters. . . ." She said in a frail, soft voice. She was very beautiful, but something about her didn't seem right. . .

"Well hey there pretty miss!! What's a lovely gal like you doing here all by yourself? Don't you know it's dangerous here?" Gallows said in a lighthearted voice. By the looks of it, he had become completely love stricken.

_Oh dear. . . . Here we go again. . ._

"Beautiful women like you need some protection, how about a strong guy like me!? Heck miss, you're in luck! I happen to be an up and coming priest with a lotta strong magical powers!!" Gallows said passionately.

"Oh come on! He's a grown man that has a weakness for women. . . That's pretty sad. . ." Virginia muttered.

"Yeah, easy to take advantage of, if you ask me." Jet grunted.

"Whatever you say, but I happen to be making some serious moves! Watch and learn." Gallows responded, with a grin.

Just then however, the young woman came up to me and smiled. "Howdy, mah name's Claudia. I was hopin' you fine Drifters could assist me. . . There is somethin' Ah am seekin' that is located at the end of these ruins, it's a valuable artifact. Of course there is a reward involved. Whatever we find at the end. . . . Ah'll let y'all keep it." She said. She attempted to smile in a way that was hypnotic. . . But it didn't have any affect on me.

This was starting to sound suspicious to me. "That is a strange request. Why would you lead us through this dungeon, when you are willing to give us that of which you seek? . . . . This doesn't sound--"

"Aww c'mon man! We gotta help those who are in need of help, right?! Besides, I'm sure you're anxious to get your hands on the treasure if its an artifact, huh?" Gallows begged.

_Oh Gallows. . . Anything to win a woman's heart. . ._

I debated this decision cautiously. If we were to aid this young woman. . . What are the possibilities? Obviously she could be seen through, her intentions are not that all sincere. . . Right, I saw no other option. She was setting us up for a trap, but I'll have to play along. . . I'll just need to have a very keen eye on the others. "Alright then, I see no harm done." I lied.

"_OH YEAH_! Heh, don't worry miss, I'll take good care of ya!!"

"Right then, Ah'll lead the way, follow me." She said, as she turned and walked away.

As we were about to follow her, Virginia suddenly grabbed my arm. I turned to her out of surprise. She looked worried.

"W-wait Clive? Th-this doesn't seem right. . ." She stuttered. Odd, where was all that energy she had a minute ago? She seemed utterly shocked that I would give in to something so easily. True, it was out of my character. Then she suddenly wrapped her arms around me, leaning her head on my chest. To be quite honest, I was startled. She looked up at me with distress in her blue eyes.

As the others followed Claudia, Virginia and I decided to hold back for a minute. I embraced her gently. "It's okay. . . I know something doesn't fit, just play along and stay alert!" I whispered softly.

She still looked worried. "Y-yes but, aren't there supposed to be a lot of traps here? I-I just don't want to screw up on something and have all you get hurt because of me." She whimpered.

"Don't worry about it, I'll protect you." I said confidently, stroking her hair. I smiled at her because it always seemed as though she would calm down if I do so. . . I was right. "I won't let anything happen to you." I assured her. Her tension eased as she looked at me and smiled.

But when I looked into her eyes, I immediately knew why she was acting so strangely around me lately. . . . She was infatuated with me. Panic secretly overwhelmed me.

_Oh my. . .!! How am I going to deal with this? . . . .Hopefully this feeling of hers would pass over sometime soon. . ._

* * *

**A/N: **Great, it looks like I'll have to end it here again, and this isn't where it was supposed to end either. . . Darn. Oh well, if I were to continue, I'm betting that it would be too much for any of you guys to read, sorry! But in any case, out of the four point of views I had to write; Clive was certainly the hardest! I mean, I have to sound all smart right? He always uses such big vocabulary, so I had to sound all sophisticated as I wrote. I just sort of looked into a thesaurus and chose the fanciest word I saw. I know I had to consider whether it fit in with the flow of the sentences or not, but oh well! Until next time!


	6. The Seductive Death Trap, part 2

**A/N: **Alrighty peoples, I know I haven't written any new chapters in quite a while now. Sorry about that! But I have been really busy; taking the ACT (boy did I totally bombed that one!!) and finishing up on a summer reading assignment, plus I want to finish through all those Final Fantasy games I've never gotten to play. My senior year is coming up and after that, I'm going to be busier than ever! Gotta mess around while I still have the chance, you know? Okay, enough blabbering from me. Read on and enjoy, okay? Ready?! Then let's do this thang!!

(**Quick note**: We're starting off from the last chapter since I've never gotten to finish it, okay?)

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Seductive Death Trap, part 2**

**Jet**

Me and Gallows were followin' the broad across the long passage when I notice some people weren't with us. I turned around while Gallows was droolin' over the broad.

And I saw them together!

Dammit!! Grrr!! She was embracing Clive and, even from a distance, she looked like she was enjoying it! ARRGH!! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! Man, I was so pissed off! I kinda. . . . No wait, why the hell am I so bothered by it?! I rushed around a corner and peeked around it to observe them more.

After a couple of seconds, Clive nervously pushed Virginia quickly away from him. And faintly I can hear him say, "Oh, err. . . ! W-we need to catch up to the others, before we fall further behind." I dashed up to Gallows and Claudia, tryin' to act casual.

"Heh, heh. . . Y'know what Miss? I happen to be an up and comin' priest! Yup, a very powerful one at that! These muscles ain't all for gettin' physical y'know, I have a little magical powers in me too! I mean, c'mon sweetie, I have brawn, beauty, power; both physically and magically!! What more can a lady ask for?!"

_Oh great. . . The giant idiot is tryin' to pick up chicks by using his lame excuse as "up and comin' priest" again. . . What a pathetic moron. . ._

"Hey, Hey buddy! You're spolin' my moment here! Can't ya clear away?" Gallows whispered to me.

I snorted. "Damn Gallows, just forget about it; ya never gonna score with this broad. Give it a rest already! Can't ya see I'm sparin' you the embarrassment when she totally disses you?"

Gallows' smile vanished and he wore an embarrassed look. "Ha, ha, heh. . . Guess you're right, little runt. But hey, that ain't stoppin' me! Besides, she even said that maybe she'll go out with me when I asked her!! By the way, where's Virginia and Clive?"

My disappointment came back. "They're comin'. . ." I mumbled.

Sure enough, the scrawny chatterbox and Mr. Saves-The-Day-Every-Flippin'-Damn-Time came up to us.

"Oh dear, I believe we have been keeping you all waiting."

"Ya damn right, Clive! I mean, it's so rude keeping a lovely lady waitin'. Here I thought you were a gentleman." Gallows said defensively.

"Um, if y'all don't mind, can we continue further?" Claudia said, with a little annoyance.

I gave a short grunt to myself, still upset. We followed Claudia through the ruins until we came to a long, dark passage that sort of spooked me. It was like anythin' coulda popped out at us at any moment. I held a hand on my prized Airget-lamb B/V2, ready for any monsters to attack.

Just then however, Claudia went ahead of us. "Oh my, these ruins are filled with horrible traps, Ah know how they work. Ah'll just go ahead mahself to make sure it's safe for y'all." She walked further into the darkness and disappeared for a minute.

"Hey, Claudia?! Are you alright?" Gallows shouted beside me, nearly shatterin' my eardrum.

No response.

"I'll go on ahead, you guys just stay behind." I said. Heh, I wanna show Virginia that I wasn't afraid of anythin'! So as I walked ahead in the thick blackness, somethin' big nearly knocked me over. "What the hell is that?!" I couldn' see what it was because it was so damn black all around me. Whatever it was, it slammed into me again, this time I fell hard on the stoned ground. I sort of lost my breath there because of the impact for a minute. Then I started to freak out, so I began to shoot all around me. The bullets ricocheted off the stoned walls, causing the impacts to spark some light. The lights were dim, but bright enough to see what was hitting me; it looked like some kind of giant stone pendulum.

The damn thing was huge! Lucky for me that it didn' have enough momentum to squash me against the narrow walls beside it. It pushed me on the other end of the other passage, so I didn' need to worry about gettin' across. The question was though; how the hell was I goin' to stop this bastard?!

"J-Jet?! Are you alright? We can't see you!" I heard Virginia. She sounded as if she was worried about me. Heh, I was pretty happy, but I sure wasn' gonna let anyone know that!

"Y-yeah! Just- Stay there! Don't come over here!" I shouted. I didn' know how I was gonna stop this until something sharp cut my leg. "OUCH! What is it this time dammit!?" I was still surrounded by darkness, so I still couldn' see. Desperately, I ran for my life through the never ending darkness. Along the way, I heard a bunch of clanks and crashes; sounded like the whole building was collapsin' behind me. I didn' dare hesitate, I ran until I finally reached the end of the long passage. I could tell I reached the end, because my face had hit on full impact of the stoned wall, makin' me bounce back.

"JET!!"

I shut my eyes tightly, bracin' myself for anymore surprises. After a minute, I could hear Gallows yellin' at me. "Jet! Hey, Jet!! JET!! Oh man, this isn't good! C'mon buddy! Hang in there! You can' leave me now! Stupid punk! Don't you dare die on me, man!!" I could feel him yankin' my body around, almost like some rag doll. As if that was gonna keep me alive. . .

"Gallows, stop it. Before you accidentally snap his neck in half." I felt a gloved hand touch my cheek. I groaned more out of annoyance than in pain. "I see. . . He'll be fine. I'll assume that he was rather shaken up after those hidden traps. Fortunately, he doesn't seemed to be in that much pain. He should be fine. But I'm afraid he's rather scared right now."

I popped open my eyes when he said that.

_Who the hell are you to judge that I was scared, you damn bastard?!_

I gave Clive one my tough-guy glare. Nobody backs down from that. But instead, he just looked at me, rather shocked than scared. I snorted. "I ain' scared of nothin'! So don' you dare say that I was freakin' out just because of some damn booby-traps! This is what I do for a livin', got that?! I don't back down from anythin'! You hear me, sniper?!"

Clive raised an eyebrow, lookin' at me as if he was confused. "I was only suggesting that you were rather surprised after that episode, anyone of us would be. Are you alright Jet? You seemed to be acting awfully queer since we entered this dungeon."

I looked away angry. "Yeah, yeah! I'm alright. I don't need any sympathy outta any of you punks! I'm a lone wolf, I'm a warrior! I can take anythin' thrown at me! Damn it, why the hell do you guys have ta worry about me whenever I get some type of bruisin'?!"

Gallows stepped in this time and spread his arms out. "Well little squirt, it's because you're a fellow teammate! Gotta lend a helpin' hand in when one's in a real fix, am I right? C'mon man, you're a friend of ours!" He flashed his big, white teeth.

In disgust, I had to spit to the side of me. "Friends. . . ?! What the hell you talkin' about?" I mumbled to myself. "I have no friends and I like to keep it that way. . ."

Just then, Claudia came from outta the blue. "Oh my, Ah hope y'all alright. That must have been frightenin'. Oh well, shall we keep on movin' then?" She said in that frail, flat voice of hers. Damn I couldn' believe it. . . She didn' have the slighted bit of worry in her tone! As if she didn' realize that I coulda been killed! And why the hell didn' she have any trouble crossin' this passage without so much of a spear stickin' into her?! Somethin' didn' seem right here. . . . .

**Gallows**

Oh man. . . Those people back in Little Twister weren' kiddin'! This place is really givin' us hell! As we all walked further into the dungeon, I couldn' help but feel worried about Claudia. She didn' seem at all scared about runnin' into more traps. Then again, it's usually us that gets the full blow of them instead o' her. So I don't mind, as long as she doesn' get hurt.

But then. . . She usually volunteers to go make a clear way. . . Yet none of them traps bother her. . . Instead, we're the ones that pay the price! . . . . How's that possible?

"Well look at that! There's a row of spears hangin' above y'all just waitin' to strike ya. Ah see a switch ahead. Don't worry, Ah'll take care of it for y'all."

I wanted to stop her. If she wasn' careful, those sharp spears above us could've hit her! But she just calmly walked across, walked right underneath them and they didn' even budge!! She flipped some kind of switch we couldn' see and quickly step back towards the wall for some odd reason.

"Okay, y'all can come on over here now!" She softly said.

Heh, I've been away from her too long enough now, so I dashed on over to her. I was achin' to be near her again. She had such a pretty smile, I couldn' resist!

"Gallows, no!! It's not safe!!" Clive shouted behind me.

All of a sudden, a shower of spears started to rain down on me. Without even thinkin' I froze there. But Jet came dashin' towards me and pulled on me to run on the other end of the hall where Claudia stood. I couldn't keep up with him; out of breath I collapse right in front of her, causin' Jet to tumble beside of me. Sadly for him, one of the last spear thrust down into his leg.

"AARRGGHH!! SON OF A BITCH!! UGH, IT HURTS!! DAMMIT, IT HURTS!!" Jet was howlin' in agony beside me. He took hold of his leg and rolled frantically around in pain.

Clive and Virginia came runnin' up to us, makin' their way through the spears that impaled to the ground. Clive quickly knelt down beside him and observed his leg. "Jet please, let me see it." Clive tried to say, but Jet's moanin' was so loud, I don't think he coulda heard him.

After some more tossin' and turnin' from Jet, Clive grabbed hold of Jet's arms and held them away from his leg. The scene was pretty ugly. Dark fluid was streakin' down his leg to his foot. Blood continued to ooze out onto the stoned ground, makin' a small puddle of dark red.

"This isn't good. . ." I could hear Clive whisper to himself. The scene was traumatizin', but of course, as always, Clive remained calm and quiet, as he gently pulled out some kind of rag he hid his long coat. He wrapped it around Jet's leg tightly and quickly. Blood still oozed out from it though, so he kept on wrappin' Jet's leg. Jet continued to groan. Obviously, blood and torn flesh didn' seemed to bother Clive. His face was impassive; not an ounce of panic showin'. That's one of the reasons why I always liked Clive; he's so damn smooth and tranquil, even when times are tough!

I'll admit; my stomach felt a little queasy. I was a little grossed out by the sight of it. So was Virginia by the looks of it; I saw a horrified face on her. She was tryin' to keep herself conscious, but she kept swayin' from side to side and her face was turnin' pale. I walked beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder for support, scared that she might collapse at any moment.

I slowly turned my gaze on the beautiful Claudia, worried that she might be a little squeamish too. Yep, I was ready for her to fall right into my arms if needed to! But to my surprise, she had a dead expression. Looked like she was. . . . smirkin'?! Nah, couln' be!

After Jet calmed down from his moanin', his pained face returned to his regular Pissed-Off-At-The-World face, y'know? The adorable, lovable face that we've all grown to love so much?! Actin' like the tough guy again, he aggressively slapped Clive's hand away from his leg. "Alright already! I'm fine now, ya don't need to worry about me anymore!" He grumbled.

Clive closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Oh alright then, but I would think it wise that you should keep off that leg for awhile. You shouldn't put any pressure on it. Here, let me carry you." Clive lend out a hand.

Of course, Jet roughly punched it away. "Ugh, dammit! I told you, I'll be alright! I don't need any help from any of ya, so just leave me the hell alone already!!" He shouted.

Clive slowly shook his head, adjusted his glasses, and gave another sigh in defeat. "Fine, be my guest. We were only trying to help you, Jet. So at least appreciate that we are here for you."

"Well. . . . Whatever. Let's just get movin' already." Jet grunted bitterly. He stormed off deeper into the ruins.

_Oh boy, this is gonna be a long day. . . . . ._

**Clive**

An hour or so has passed now, and yet I feel that we aren't even close to the end. . . Just how much longer are we going to reach this ancient artifact the young woman claimed to be here? Meanwhile, we're still wandering through these dangerous ruins. And unfortunately, more traps continue to impede us from our journey. I couldn't help but wonder that this young lady was just trying to get us hurt on purpose; because truth be told, since we first entered this dungeon, she hasn't been bothered by a single booby-trap. . . My suspicion was starting to get the best of me; this woman cannot be trusted.

As we walked further, I kept a sharp eye on Jet. He was limping along the way, often he fell further behind us. He must have notice my quick glances, because every time I shifted my eyes towards him, he gave me an afflicting glare each time. As a result, I stopped.

Claudia continued to walk ahead of us. She casually walked across a narrow walkway that ascended across a black, bottomless pit. None of the titles of the walkway dissembled, which didn't surprise me. It was our turn to cross now.

At that instant, I braced myself; prepared to save any of my comrade's lives if necessary. As we almost reach the other end to where Claudia was, the narrow bridge started to collapse right after another after us, which I was expecting all along.

"Whoa! Make a run for it peoples!" Gallows shouted excitedly. He ran ahead of us, picking up the injured, protesting Jet and tossing him over his shoulder as he passed. He made it just in time.

Unfortunately, Virginia and I were still further behind, so we had quite a ways to run. We sprinted as fast as we could to reach the end; the last of the walkway crumbling just a feet behind us. I had to jump to make it on the ledge when the final part of the bridge broke from under my feet. Yet for Virginia, she wasn't quick enough.

She fell into the darkness and tried to grab the ledge, yet missed. But I rapidly reach out my hand to grab hers just in time. She was now dangling from the dark abyss as she held on tightly to my hand. Slowly, I felt her strength giving away as I tried to pull her up. I nearly fell in after her as I tried to pull her up.

"Please. . . . Don't let go, Virginia. . . Just-- hold on!" I begged, as I gave all my effort to pull her up to me at last.

So much effort, that I fell backwards. As my back landed on the hard, cold stoned-ground, she landed on top of me. We laid there for a minute, regaining our breath. Heaving for air, she rapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my chest. . .yet again. "You. . . You saved me. . .again. . . . Thank you, Clive." She said breathlessly.

I sat up and put my hand over her head. "It's alright now, Virginia. I've got you." I said gently. She smiled warmly, and her light-blue eyes were watery.

_Oh dear. . . ! This isn't going at all right for me. . . I'm afraid she likes me even more now!! My, how am I going to fix this?!_

"H-H-Hey!! You guys alright?!" Gallows shouted at us.

Jet limped his way to us. Claudia and Gallows followed him soon after. Jet carefully tried to kneel down beside us, despite his injury. He looked with so much concern at Virginia. It strike to me as odd; why was he taking Virginia's health into consideration if he claimed that he disliked her so?

His face turned from worry to anger in a second as he looked up to Claudia. "You. . .! You did this, didn' you?! Answer me, damn it!! You're the reason why all these traps have been hittin' us, aren' ya? You bitch!! Ya been tryin' to hurt us from the beginnin'!!" Jet's face twisted into that of a madman as he displayed his wrath on the young woman.

"HEY JET! Watcha mouth! Claudia didn' do a thing, and how dare you speak like that to a lady!" Gallows said with warning.

Claudia stood there with a blank expression. "What do y'all mean? Ah don't know what yer talkin' about. Ah was only tryin' to help y'all out." She said innocently. "Now, c'mon. The end is just around the corner. We're almost there. Ah'll promise y'all that there ain't anymore traps ahead." She walked calmly away.

_No. . . This is--This has gone on far enough!!_

**Virginia**

I'm getting anxious. How many more traps do we have to take?! I'm getting tired of this! I walked closely to Clive the rest of the way to feel protected. But he kept on trying to move away from me. . . Why?

Instead, I tried to lure Gallows away from Claudia by whispering. "Hey, Gallows? Um, don't you think that there's something fishy about Claudia?" Apparently, Gallows was the only one here who refused to believe that Claudia was the suspect for all our troubles.

"Whaddya talkin' about? I sense no evil from this beauty! Virginia trust me, I'm a candidate for priesthood, don'cha think that sensin' evil would be a forte of mine? C'mon, she even promised me a date!!" Gallows said in a jolly tone.

I had my doubts. "I don't know about this. . . She's a little. . .weird." I said uncomfortably.

Gallows let out a laugh. "Yeah Virginia, she's an evil sorceress!" He looked down at me and gave his confident smile. "Don't worry, nothin' else bad's gonna happen Virginia!" He said optimistically. I know he was trying to reassure me, but it didn't help. I still felt uneasy.

Finally, what seemed like forever, we had reached a dead end. At the end, a pedestal stood, with a red gem glinting brightly from it.

"We're here. Now valiant Drifters, take the gem and gaze into it's beauty! You must admire it's luster! If something isn't beautiful, then it's probably worthless!" Claudia said.

Clive was the first to step up. He observed it carefully, almost about a minute. Then he slowly reached out and took hold of the artifact. Immediately, he grabbled hold of me and push me out of the way. Just in time too! Because another booby trap had set off and shot some type of laser out. I was impressed. Always prepared for anything.

"Oh my. I hope that trap didn' get y'all. Now, let's continue just a little further through this secret passage. In return for my help, Ah expect y'all to do the same for me. . . Ah'm mighty impress that y'all made it this far. Let's get going."

Gallows was almost all willing to do any command made by her. As he was about to follow her, Clive blocked his path all of a sudden. He had that serious look on his face.

"Is somthin' the matter?" Claudia said with annoyance.

"That is. . .quite enough. I am fed up with this false voyage and I'll assume that my comrades are as well. I'll kindly ask you to end this little charade now, if you please." We all looked at Clive out of surprise. His tone was firm and serious.

Claudia merely smiled. . .an evil smile. "How did you see through my disguise?" She said in a dark, chilling tone. Her voice. . . It was completely different now. Her voice send shivers down my spine, not at all inviting!

In a flash, she wasn't Claudia now, but a completely different woman. She was completely clad in white, long robes. She was much more beautiful than Claudia. Her face was beautiful and perfect. . . .but, I could see a cold beauty that seemed to be full of, well, evil. Yup, although her appearance was beautiful, I felt a chilling, ominous presence from her.

"No particular reason I suppose. I could already sense that you were trouble from the beginning, to start with." Clive said coldly.

"Really?! Humph, I can't believe that my identity was easily seen by your instinct. But I'm appalled that you weren't hypnotized by my beauty from the beginning." The robed woman said, a little offended. "Nobody can resist my beauty! No man wouldn't dare give me one look then turn away. . . . Unless. . . . Unless you're not heterosexual. . .?"

Gallows and Jet couldn't help but snicker loudly behind us. Clive looked revolted. "Please, I've been through this process before." He shot back a look at Gallows and Jet, who immediately stopped laughing. "And yes, I happen to be. . . .straight."

"Then-- Why?! Don't tell me that you were able to escape my temptation!" The robed woman said angrily.

Clive turned back to her. "Miss. . . I can see that appearance is everything to you. But I'm afraid that's not the case. You expect everyone to fall for your outer beauty, but you're sadly mistaken. Just appearance alone cannot capture a man's heart."

"Yeah it can!!" Gallows spat out.

Clive turned to him and gave a warning look. Then returned to the robed woman. He gave a small cough. "Anyways, a man with a _brain_ cannot have his heart capture by appearance alone. If that is the case, then I'm afraid that man would have to be an _idiot_."

"H-H-Heeey!" Gallows whined from behind us.

Clive gave another cough, "As I was saying; looks aren't everything. And your weapon of choice, beauty is it? It's rather pathetic if you ask me. Using this poor, defensless woman from Little Twister as your veil. . .how pitiful. . . Yet, another reason why I was willing to shun your seduction was because I happen to have a wife and a daughter; who would be very displeased if I was to foolishly give my attention to another woman."

We were all completely dumbfounded.

I just stood there, still utterly shocked. . .and torn. . . I was. . .upset with emotion. I was still in shocked to make things worse. My heart felt. . .funny. My head is spinning. . . I felt so sick. Anxiety rushed up and down throughout my entire body. I felt like cryin', and passing out. . .all at the same time. . . I've never felt this way before. . . I couldn't decide which of more I was feeling; astounded or crushed. It was as if all the feelings I have experienced in my life hit me all at once; saddened, angered, shocked, scared, worried. . .

_He. . . He's married?!_

"Real beauty comes from within the heart. Any righteous person can see through your deception."

"What do you know about it?! How _dare_ you insult me like this!!" The robed woman was really angry now. Judging by the burning flames in her eyes, I'll predict that now there's gonna be a fight! "I will make you regret those words!!"

As the battle began, I pulled out my two ARMs; Rapier Ex and Bantorain 93R. The rest of the guys wielded out their notorious ARMs as well. I had a hard time focusing, still in bewilderment from the surprised truth that was just recently exposed to us. We scattered around the robed woman, waiting for her to make her move. Strategically, we've always did this in battle; runinn' around randomly, confusing our enemy. . . But this time it didn't work. She already knew who to mark her target on; Clive.

She was very powerful! With one swift of her hand, she caused some type of ultrasonic wave to blow at him. As a result, Clive fell to one knee; he was hurt!

Angrily, I dashed up to the mysterious robed woman. "You'll pay for that!" I said in an aggravated tone. I pointed my duel pistols at her and shot with full fire.

_BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!!_

I was in trigger happy mode now! I shot at her like an insane person. I kept on pullin' the trigger until all my ammunition was used up. After a couple of more pulling, I realized I had no more bullets left! She didn't even flinch! My triumphant smile faded. It was her turn to smile now. After a malignant laugh, she raised up her robed arm and hit me across the face!

_SMACK!!_

The impact was strong enough to send me flying across the stone ground. I skittered roughly on the stone, sending dust in the air. The friction caused by the hard, rough stone caused by body to ache. My cheek started to burn where she had slapped me.

"Hmph! Stupid, insolent girl!" She said cruelly to me. She turned her attention to Clive again and mercilessly began to beat him with her bizarre attacks. "That attack is called the Eliminate Scanner; it's impossible for anyone to escape it and its very painful as well." She informed him.

Clive was in trouble, he suffered enough pain already from her first attack. If she kept it up, Clive would be knocked out in no time. Apparently, she was rather upset from his remarks from earlier. Maybe that was the reason why she's only attacking him instead of us?

Jet appeared from nowhere and pointed his one handed machine gun at her. "Damn you, woman!!" He shouted.

He fired a round at her. But she send one of her Eliminate Scanner attacks on him. "Hah! Those bullets of yours have no effect on me!" She turned to attack Clive again, turning her back on Jet. While she was busy however, Jet made another daring attempt to fire at her. Surprised, the robed woman recoiled; and it even looked like she was injured in the process too!

"Alrighty Miss. Sorry, but you've left me no choice! You mess with my friends, ya gonna pay for it!" Gallows shouted. He braced himself for a magic attack. Just then, a tornado of wind came slashing at the robed woman. It was the Vortex spell; a wind element attack! Gallows happened to be very skilled in Arcana too, so the damage must have been very critical. The robed woman was hurting now!

"Okay, stand back everyone! I'm summonin' Fengalon!!" Indeed, we gave Gallows the Gale Claw Medium all the way back at the Fallen Sanctuary. In a minute, the giant wind tiger Guardian came and performed the Hi-Speed Ripper attack on the robed woman. By now, she would at least be in her critical condition. "Hey Clive, finish her off!!"

Clive had recovered from his assault, and raised his long, sniper rifle at her. Carefully, he aimed and fired.

_BANG!!_

What luck! It was a critical attack too!!

The robed woman fell back in defeat. "Ow! Ugh! Fine then! You've won this round, but don't think that this is the last time I'll be seeing you!" Wounded, the robed woman made her way through the secret passage. She turned around one last time, "Don't you _ever _think that I'll forget about _you_! Next time, I'll be sure to destroy you." With one last venomous glare shot at Clive, she disappeared.

"Quick! Don't let her get away!" I shouted. The ruins started to shake, but that didn't stop us from chasin' her!

We ran into another room to find the mysterious robed woman and. . . .

"Hey, Princess! Long time since I saw ya!"

Janus Cascade. . . I was more scared than shocked. I for sure thought that he died back in Ka Dingel, we all thought that he did. He must have seen my eyes widened then responded. "Heh, what's the look for? Don't tell me that you thought that I was dead! Heck, I'm far from it! You see, the Dark Spear you witness back at Ka Dingel allowed my body to corrupt into. . .a demon. Now, I have some supreme powers that you can't possibly imagine. Don't believe me? Then see for yourself. . ."

Just then, he transformed into the most ugliest creature I have ever seen. It was true, he was now a demon. I felt a new fear over taking me. No, it wasn't just me, it was the Mediums that were scared as well!

"The Mediums. Do you all feel them? There scared of Janus!" Gallows said.

"Allow me to show you all just how my powers truly work." Janus said with an sinister smile.

Another battle.

This battle was far more tough than the one with the robed woman. He was so incredibly strong. Unlike anything we have ever witness. Janus Cascade. He was no longer human, not anymore. We manage to put some dents into him, but nothing serious. Throughout the whole fight, we concentrated more on trying to stay alive than actually hurting him.

After many rounds later, the robed woman interrupted; to our relief. "The Gemini Circuit has been successfully obtain. Stand aside, I shall finish them!"

Janus protested. "Negative. Your objective was to take the Gemini Circuit to build your fortress thingy and report back, nothin' else. These blokes are mine to take."

The robed woman smacked Janus across the face. "How dare you give me orders! We are to both report back, you imbecile!"

Janus rubbed his cheek. "Yeah, yeah! I hear ya!" with a white flash, the white robed woman disappeared. "That's it for me, I'm out. But don't worry, Princess! We'll meet again, you can bet on that! I just hope your team has improved by then!" In the same flash, he disappeared as well.

"H-Hey, wait a minute Miss!! Does this mean our date is totally off?!" Gallows shouted.

I collapsed on the ground, exhausted.

_Wh-What?! . . . . . What was that. . . .!?_

* * *

**A/N: **You know, writing this story has brought up so many fond memories of this game. I remembered the first time I played it; couldn't turn the PS2 off! I was like, _addicted_ to this game! It's strange, because I've hardly ever felt so attach to a game. It's almost kind of rare. So naturally, I was all depressed when I reached the end of this game. (My first memorable obsessed game was _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_, man best game of all time on the Nintendo 64!) Anyways, I was as shocked as the rest of the guys when I first learned that Clive had a family, ha! But as great as this game was, I felt as if it didn't received as much love as it rightfully deserved. Honestly, these games nowadays don't impress me much, there kind of. . . .monotonous. I'm waiting for that day to come when I experience a damn good RPG game out there, like this one here! One of these days! I'll be waiting!


	7. Under the Starry Moonlit Night

_**A/N: **Surprise!!_ Aren't you glad that you get to read**_two_ **chapters made by me, LadyDarkKnight, in _**one friggin' day**_!? Well, I had to make two chapters in a day to make up for my lost time! Anxious to read? Well here you go; chapter seven!!

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**Chapter 7: Under the Starry Moonlit Night**

**Virginia**

We decided to rest on a high plateau near the Unclean Mark. Dusk was comin' and it would be nightfall by the time we reached Little Twister. We decided to set up a fire for camp and we just relaxed for the rest of the evening. We were all pretty shaken up after what we saw what Janus had become.

"So yeah. . . . That Dark Spear made Janus into a demon? Creepy! I'm sure glad that we didn't get too much involved with that Eternal Sparkle thingy! But it's strange, don't you think? The demons; they're only supposed to exist in folklore. . . Yet look what Janus turned into. . ." I tried to keep a conversation goin' to lift the weight off our shoulders.

"Yeah, and what was up with that damn robed woman? Who the hell was she anyways?" Jet said, his face still wincing due to the injury he received in his leg.

"Dunno. But she was pretty cute! Too bad she was evil, though. Man! Why do all the pretty ladies have to be the villains?! And while we're on the subject, why was she so anxious on fixin' us to get hurt? We've never did anything to her. Heck, we've never even met the woman! There shouldna be any reason why she was tryin' to kill us. . ." Gallows said thoughtfully.

"Well, thanks to Clive's smart mouth over here, I'd imagine that she's really pissed off at us now. It didn't help to tell her that she was pathetic either, Clive! All the more reason why she wants to annihilate us!" Jet grunted.

"I was only telling her the truth. Absolute beauty comes from a tender, benign heart. She could learn a lesson from that." Clive responded.

"Um, so like, yeah! Speaking of surprises--" I sort of paused right there. I was going to bring up the subject of Clive's family, but decided not to, because I was still in shock of the news. Instead, I shifted the topic at the last minute. "Er, w-what about the Mediums? They acted so strangely in front of Janus."

"The Mediums. . . The way they were reactin' when we were near Janus. . . It's bizarre. I mean, we have a connection to the Guardians with these here Mediums, right? So naturally we could feel the fear and anger from them." Gallows said, a little lost in his own thoughts.

"In folklore, the demons were the sworn enemies of the Guardians, protectors of Filgaia. If the legend is true, then I'm afraid that the demons have indeed become an actual threat to this decaying world once again. As keepers of the Guardians, I'm afraid that it is our responsibility to stop this phenomenon." Clive said, looking at the twilight.

"Argh! Dammit! Granny knew about this all this time! She knew all along that it was always us that was destined to protect this planet. She learned all this through my little brother; Shane's dreams. That's why she send us to free the Guardians back at the Fallen Sanctuary. I've fallen into her trap! I just wanted to be free and roam the wasteland as I please. But now. . . ! Rrrgh!" Gallows punched his fist into the ground.

"Nobody's gonna believe us, you know. Us as wielders of the Guardians and there's the Demons, too. They'll think that we're insane or somethin'." Jet said suddenly, still holding on to his wounded leg.

Just then, a bright light was flashing from our Mediums. All four lights combined into one and shot up into the sky, heading southeast.

"W-what the hell was that?!" Jet stammered in surprise.

"They traveled south then east. The Mediums must be calling for us to go there. But in the morning. We first have to deliver the missing young woman." Clive gazed over to the unconscious Claudia who laid beside us. "In the meantime, shall we get some dinner? I am certain we can find some game out in the wasteland at this time of the evening. Gallows, would you kindly assist me?"

"Oh yeah! I'm up for some fun!" Gallows responded optimistically.

"Virginia? Please, would you kindly do a favor for me?"

I jumped up in delight. "I would do anything for you Clive! After you saved me from that pitfall earlier today!" I said, almost too eagerly.

He smiled warmly. "Good. Then please stay behind and attend to Jet's wound, keep him company. He needs to be treated immediately."

My happiness faded. "What?! You're not gonna leave me behind with that jerk, are you?!" I protested.

"Now Virginia. As you could have seen today, Jet was not inviting to my attention when I tried to aid him the time he received his injury. And certainly, he is in no friendly condition with Gallows as well." Clive said, adjusting his glasses. The bright moonlight reflected off the lenses.

"But--! What makes you think that he'll be in a better mood with me dealin' with him?! Don't you remember? We were the ones who constantly argued throughout the whole journey since we've met! Besides, he _hates_ me!!"

"Oh, I'm not so sure of that." He said mysteriously, smiling to himself when he said that.

"What do you mean?" I tried to get an answer out from him.

"Nothing. Just please listen to me; as a request from your leader." After that, he picked up his sniper rifle, and with Gallows, set out.

I sighed in disgust. Then turned around to find an arms-crossed Jet, glarin' at me.

I placed two hands on my hips. "What are you lookin' at?!" I yelled bitterly at him.

"Nothin'. It just. . . You seem kinda disappointed being stuck here with me."

"Well can you blame me?!" I said sarcastically, waving my hands in the air. "Now, let's take a look at that stupid leg of yours, you wimp."

"Yeah? Well what if I don' want ya to?" He challenged me.

"Too bad! Now stick out your leg so I can see!" Out of his will, I grabbed hold of his leg and pulled it out to observe it more.

"H-hey! Watch it, damn it! I'm injured here!"

"Oh be quiet!" I snapped at him. Reluctantly, I had to peer over that mutilated wound again. . . I took a breath and looked down.

And there it was; his bandages were soaked with dried blood. I unwrapped them to reveal a hideous blood drenched flesh. I looked away with grimace. Ugh! The blood smelled strong! It was uglier than before. What's worse, I could feel my own blood draining from my face. I began to feel woozy as I tried to keep my balance.

Jet caught hold of my wrist. "Hey, snap out of it, will ya?! Man, if you can't handle the violence, then you were better off not being a Drifter after all!"

_Oh jeeze. . . . Here we go again!! He'll never let go of this subject will he?! Argh! I hate him sooooo much!!_

"Would ya stop brining up that topic?! It's getting old now!"

"Well, I'm only bringin' it up because it's true! Hell, I don't wanna see a weak-minded greenhorn like yourself to get hurt--"

"_Weak-minded?!_ Oh, is that what you think of me!? You think I have no guts?! You think I'm spineless?!"

"Well. . . . . Yeah. . . You are spineless. . . And yer kinda weak too. Truth hurts like a bitch, don't it?"

_Unbelievable!! He's got some nerve to--!!_

Quivering in fury, I let go of his outstretched leg. I watched as it fell hard on the rock. A little bit of blood splattered on it.

"There?! How's that for ya!? Did _that _hurt like a bitch!?" I repeated his words to him.

"RRRAHHGH!! OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!!Damn you. . . .!! _Yer - Gonna - Pay - For - That. . . _!!" He tried to warn calmly.

"I - Don't - Care!" I tried to repeat the pauses he did for each word, just to annoy him all the more.

He grunted. He immediately reached for his leg. Then for a really creepy reason, he smiled mischievously at me. I didn't expect that from him, so my smirk quickly vanished. It was sort of creeping me out!

"If I wasn' hurtin' so much right now, I'd come over to ya and. . . .teach ya a lesson." He chuckled in the most malignant way.

Okay, this was a new way of getting on my nerves. I was beyond creeped out by now!

He continued to smile mischievously. Then, he did the most unlikely thing I would least expect from him. He got up on both feet (he winced when he stepped on his bad leg) then quickly came to me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and we both went flyin' on the ground. He wrestled with me playfully, I was trying to push him off. But he restrained me from doing so.

"_What are you doin'!? _Have you gone crazy?! Get off me, now!" When he didn't listened to me, I did the first thing that came to mind; I punched him in the face.

_WHAM!!_

He went flying backwards. I immediately got up. "What's gotten into you?!" I snapped at him.

Just then, Clive and Gallows came poppin' into view, carrying behind them what looked like dinner.

"Uh-oh! Another brawlin' again? Seriously, you guys need to work out your differences and make peace." Gallows said, shaking his head sadly.

"Mind your own business, half-twit!" Jet grumbled, placing a hand over a now blackened eye.

Clive walked up to me and crossed his arms, looking down at me like a child that had a mischievous behavior. ". . . Virginia?" he said in a warning tone.

"No! Clive, it was his fault! Honest! He started to get on my nerves, even when I was trying to heal him. The jerk attacked me for no apparent reason! It was self defense, you gotta believe--"

I tried to explain to him, but he wouldn't listen. He shook his head in disappointment and sighed. "Jet has been injured enough as it is, and you're harming him all the more." After that, he walked away towards Jet and Gallows. "Gallows? I wonder if you could use some of your Arcana. The Heal spell was it? Try to ease Jet's pain. Also, please give him a couple of Heal Berries as well; but preserve the Potion Berries, those are rather hard to come by."

"Sure thing, leader!" Gallows responded. He turned to Jet, "Okay little runt, it's time that I make you feel better. . . Nurse Gallows on the job!!" He said, with a wicked smile.

"W-wait, don't! Don't come any closer--! Get away from me, you bastard. . .! I don't want any help from _you_! OUCH! Watch where you're touchin', you big oaf!"

**Clive**

It must be midnight by now. Everyone else went to sleep, but I decided to stay up for awhile, jotting notes into my journal. I used to write down the things I have observed from the wasteland for research, but now I started to write in the unusual circumstances we have encountered thus far instead. For example; Janus, the demons, the Guardians, and so on.

**. . . .**

Earlier that evening, I spoke with Gallows alone. He was the only one who knew of the legends. He is part of the Baskar tribe, after all. Sadly. . .

"Uh, the wha-? S-sorry Clive! But, heh, I kinda blanked out when Granny was givin' her lectures. You see? They were extremely boring to listen to! So I often fell asleep when she wasn't noticin'! Hah! I'm pretty smooth aren't I? Sleepin' when she wasn' expectin'."

I dropped my head down in disappointment. "Oh I see," I sighed, "Well, thank you anyways Gallows. I suppose I'll have to manage this on my own."

"Heh, heh. . . Sorry about that buddy! I just wish I was a better student back then. Maybe if I was, Granny wouldn't be so senile!" laughing to himself, "I'm gonna get some shut eye now, okay? See you in the mornin'."

Before he left, an immediate thought crossed my mind.

"Uh, Gallows?"

"Yeah, leader?"

". . . . . Please, a little advice from a friend; I would refrain from going near Claudia tonight." I warned him.

"W-w-what?! I-I don't know what you're talkin' about! I mean--! I-I'm not some kind of pervert if that's what you're thinkin'!"

"I would hope so. . ."

**. . . .**

This demon threat to Filgaia has gotten me concerned. The world is already deteriorated. Imagine what will happen if the demons were to wreak havoc once again. . . The planet would be in utter chaos and as a result; it will perish. We must act accordingly, but how? The team apparently quarrels at the most crucial situations. . . If we cannot act as a proper team, then I'm afraid our team will eventually meet its demise. And yet there's the demon problem, is there some way we can go about it? It be quite honest, I don't know where to start. . . How are we to solve this?

I gazed up into the starlit night. So many stars out tonight. I closed my eyes and thought critically for a minute. What was I supposed to do? Everyone practically depends on me for everything. . . Its very stressful. Is there an easier way to settle this?

_Looking for a shortcut can lead you astray. . ._

After that random thought, my eyes immediately opened.

But of course! I was so foolish! I was looking for an easier way to deal with this issue, instead of gathering clues and observations. That had to be the reason why I had such difficulty thinking about this. Too much time concentrating on the shortcut, instead of concentrating on the main path. Yes, the process may seem long and tiresome, but I'd rather be prepared, other than rushing into the unknown without any knowledge at all. It was so simple that--

"Clive?"

A soft voice broke me away from my reverie. Taken aback, I turned around to see who was behind me.

Virginia.

_So. . . You've been secretly observing me again, haven't you?_

I smiled at her compassionately. "Virginia, you still awake?"

"Um, yes. . ." She said shyly. "I, uh, I couldn't sleep. . ."

"I don't blame you. After what we've all witness today, I'd imagine that no one could possibly sleep tonight." I returned to my journal. I could still feel Virginia's presence near me.

"Uh, so I see that you've got your notebook out again. Plannin' ahead for tomorrow?" She asked nervously.

"Yes, as a matter fact. I'm curious to see why the Guardians are leading us to the southeast. Perhaps we could be in for another rough time again. Be ready." I glanced at Virginia. She quickly looked away.

"Yeah, sure thing." She responded, still glancing elsewhere. I couldn't help but notice a tremble in her tone when she said that.

There was a rather long, almost eccentric, silence that followed our small conversation. Virginia. . . She just wasn't the same young girl I've known since I first met her. . . What happen to the Virginia I knew who wasn't afraid to approach me and start rattling on about strange topics? What happen to the Virginia I knew who was very comfortable around me when Jet and Gallows were elsewhere? This new passion she has for me had completely changed our past friendship. . .

"So. . . . You're married, huh?" She said all of a sudden, her tone almost showed a hint of disappointment.

"Yes, I am." I admitted. "I apologize if it seemed as if I was trying to hide it from everyone. But I just didn't know the right time to bring up the topic."

"Oh no, its alright. I just wish. . .you could've told us all sooner.

"I apologize." I repeated again.

Another silence began, but not as long as the previous one, for Virginia bestowed another conversation. "Um so, was it hard to look for some huntin' out in the wasteland this evening?" She asked curiously. I could tell she wasn't comfortable to continue the talk of my marital status, as thus, quickly jumped on to another topic.

"Well, bringing a chatty Gallows along the way didn't aid me on my concentration. So I missed a couple of shots." I admitted.

"Ah, sorry to hear that." was all she responded. She gazed all around her, but still refused to look in my direction.

Virginia was so quiet. . . This is not the Virginia I know. I decided to shift the conversation myself to a rather more interesting topic; one that I knew she couldn't refuse to ramble on about.

"By the way Virginia, while we're on this particular subject; why did you assault Jet this evening? I thought I told you to help him. Instead you took a strike at him."

"Huh?! No, no, no! He attacked _me_ first! I swear he's lost his mind! He smiled this really creepy smile and laughed very weirdly! There I was; tryin' to fix his bandages, when he started to make my blood boil by bringing on that stupid subject 'You Shouldn't Even Be A Drifter, So Go Home Already' thing again. He did that on purpose, I know he did! The nerve of him to insult others when they are trying to help him!! I got so mad, that I let his leg hit the ground. He creeped me out with his eerie laugh, then he tackled me!! Clive, he's been actin' mighty strangely--"

I listened on to her venting until she finally fell asleep from exhaustion due to her talking. I was relieved that night. She acted more like the former Virginia; she talked non-stop.

_I hope that by revealing my secrets, they have caused Virginia to think over her thoughts on me. . ._

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**A/N:** Yup, that's chapter seven for ya. I'll try to promise you guys that I'll write more often, but only when I have some really great ideas, I have nothing to do, or if I'm in the mood. Until then!


	8. The Avoider

**A/N:** Okay, I know it's been like, forever since I've last updated. How long was it? Anyways, I'm sorry for those who were actually interested in this story to have been waiting for so long on the next chapter for ages. But truth be told, I was just so busy with school starting last fall that I lost interest when writing. I felt so bad just leaving this uncompleted that I had to write again, so I'm willing to write every weekend or every other one. I had fun writing this and it wouldn't be fair to just leave it unfinished, so here you are:

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Chapter 8: The Avoider

**Virginia**

Several weeks have passed by since the Unclean Mark incident. Boy, we sure learned a lot. We managed to travel southeast, following the lights created by the Mediums. There we found some ruins called the Lunatic Garden. We met another weirdo named Malik Bendict. He must have been in league with that insane Melody Vilente because he was dressed just like her; wearing white robes and he was hostile to us too. I don't know who these people are, but I really don't like them. Luckily, we manage to grab us another Medium just in time. It was the Guardian Celesdue. It was then that we finally started to realize that the Guardians were in real danger with these robbed people hangin' around. After passin' through that terrible Sand Canal, we managed to reach Little Rock in one piece after the bruisin' we got from the now self-claimed Demon, Janus.

***In the saloon one evening***

"Man, what the hell are we goin' to do about this? We can't just keep runnin' into Janus and retreat from him all the time! But if we stick around and fight him, we'd be knocked out before the first round even finishes! He's just too strong to fight, and what's worse is that we keep bumbin' into him too!" Gallows explained in exaggeration.

We all sat in the saloon of Little Rock, trying to regain our strength from the tough battle we had with Janus. Desperately, we needed to come up with a new plan to prepare ourselves; in case we have another run in with Janus.

But I knew it was impossible; he's too strong. We were no match against him. We're too weak-- No, I'm too weak. I knew that I was the only vulnerable thing of the team.

I'm just not strong enough. No matter what I do.

No matter what people say to encourage me. . .

No matter how hard I try to. . . . .

I think. . . I think I need daddy's encouragement. When I was a little girl, he always inspired me to go that extra mile whenever I was down or whenever I wanted to give up. I always counted on him to come to my rescue when I needed it the most. . .

But I'm not a little girl any more, and he's not here. . .

No, I don't need his encouragement now.

I can tough this out! I'm a Drifter now and I better start actin' like it! I have my friends to help me out here. I have Gallows; who always keeps me smilin' with his good-natured attitude. I have Jet; who always. . . . . . . . . . Okay, screw Jet. But I have Clive! Yes! Especially Clive; who always keeps me going further, even when times are tough. . . .

Oh, I forgot. . . .

This whole marriage thing never settled out of my mind. It still bothered me a lot. What's worse is that he made no effort to talk to me since that night we spoke after rescuing Claudia. Can you imagine he hasn't spoken to me after all these weeks? What did I do? Not only that, but he kept his distance from me as well. . . Whenever I try to walk beside him or even try to talk to him, he just makes some kind of excuse to get away from me. When I fell into that sand river back in the Sand Canal, he came to my rescue as usual. But afterwards, he didn't respond to me even when I said "thank you". He only responded by sayin' "Let's continue on, shall we?" or "We should get going". And he didn't even look at me, so I don't even know if he was talking to me or to the whole group. I wonder if I did something wrong. . . Just having this thought is depressing me all the more. . .

Unless. . . . . .

No frickin' way, he couldn't have know! _Could he_?!? Gaaah!! I refuse to believe!!! He doesn't know! He can't know!

_HE MUST NOT KNOW!!!_

It'll be embarrasing, what with him being married and havin' a kid and all! _Okay Virginia, calm yourself down_! _He doesn't know, he may be very intelligent, but surely he can't figure these kind of things out just like that_!

I could feel myself havin' a panic attack and it probably was obvious because just as I looked beside me, I saw a pair of mean purple eyes glarin' at me.

I froze. With both of my hands clinched over my chest and with all my heavin' and puffin', I started to sweat; as if I was havin' trouble breathing. Yeah, I was definitely sure that my paranoia was showin'.

". . . . . . . . . What?! What are you starin' at me for?!" I snapped at him.

"Pshh. Just starin' because it look like you were gonna have a heart attack or somethin'. It was pathetic _and_ hilarious to look at." Jet responded with that stupid grin that I hated so much.

"Leave me alone! And buzz off!!" I yelled.

"I am leavin' you alone, _aren't I_? I'm just starin' is all! Nothin' wrong with that, _is there_? Not like I'm pesterin' you or somethin'." He grunted.

"You _are _pestering me! Just having you near my presence bothers me! Just the fact that having you in my sight pesters me!!" I argued.

"Well tough shit, yer gonna have to look at my pretty face everyday as long as you tag along! So get used to it, chatterbox! Unless. . . ya wanna bail out now? Y'know, call it quits and get packin' for home? Smart choice I'd say, I'm surprised that you made it this far without getting' hurt! And just for that, I'm givin' you a round of applause!" He clapped his hands sarcastically, still having that cocky grin on his face.

Ugh! I wanted to kick his leg right then and there! But unfortunately for me, his leg made a full recovery, so there was no point of doin' it if it didn't cause that extra pain. As much as I wanted to punch him again, I restrained myself because Clive was here (and I didn't want to appear unlady-like in front of him). Much to my disappointment though, he wasn't payin' attention! My hopes of him scoldin' Jet for backtalkin' me were dashed. So I decided to settle this myself the adult way; arguing back and makin' fun of him.

"Ha, ha! Very funny of you Jet! At least I was careful enough to not let any booby traps get the best of me along the way! I'd say that I'm surprised how often you got hurt, after all that braggin' you did when we all first met, you know? Braggin' how you were a professional Drifter and all. But I suppose being a big-headed jerk is just the way you are. Too bad it keeps gettin' you in a real fix most of the time."

It was certainly true; of all the booby traps we've encountered, Jet got a hundred percent of them because of his recklessness. _Humph!_ _Some professional Drifter if you asked me_. . .

For a minute there, I thought I got the best of him because his cocky grin disappeared. "W-w-well-- I'm still smarter than you! I least I know where I'm goin' half the time and I don't need to ask everyone's opinion every damn time I have ta make a decision!! Lastly, I least I know what being a Drifter is all about! Unlike you, who apparently doesn't have a goddanm clue. and needs to switch _leaders_ along the way!!!

That made my blood boil.

"Well, at least I'm not an arrogant jerk who gets on peoples' nerves all the time with his swearin' everyday!" I nearly screamed.

"What?! What the hell you talkin' about?! You get on everyone's nerves all the time! _Especially me_!" Jet spat out at me.

". . . Actually, you guys are startin' to get on _my _nerves right now with all yer arguin' and whatnot." Gallows quietly said.

"_SHUT UP_!!!" Me and Jet yelled at him. He fell silent.

Back to our fighting; "At least I'm smart enough to think things through before getting caught in some booby trap! I don't let my obsession of treasure-hutin' get the best of me either! I actually think what I'm about to do next, instead of rushin' through some ruins just to get my grubby hands on some worthless treasure!" I shouted.

"_You_? _SMARTER THAN ME_?!? Now that is _flippin'_ hilarious!!! Don't try to kid me here, Virginia. It was _your_ stupidity that got us all into an ambush _and_ lead us to pick a new leader in the first place! And plus, you made many more stupid mistakes before that as well. Remember that?! So I wouldn' even go there, moron!" Jet said confidently, crossing his arms in triumph, as if he won the fight already.

"Well, at least I'm not pathetic as to brag about all the great accomplishments being a Drifter. . . and doesn't even show for it!"

"Well, at least I'm not an obnoxious little brat who needs special treatment from the rest of the team, just because she doesn't know how to be a Drifter!"

"Well, excuse me for not being a _professional_ Drifter; but at least I'm not pathetic as to think that I need to make up stories and lies pretending to be a skilled Drifter, just to impress everyone he meets!" I scoffed.

"Well, at least I don't need protectin' from Clive all the damn time whenever I'm in a real fix! I'm a real man who handles things himself; as should all _real_ Drifters do!"

I nearly chocked after hearing this statement. "_Oh jeeze_, do you seriously think that you're a man?!? Well, at least I'm honest."

"At least I'm not a little bitch who cries all the time just because she hears the truth; not being fit to be a Drifter every goddamn time someone admits it!"

"_YOU SHUT UP!!!"_

"_YOU GO TO HELL!!!"_

"Enough now. Don't you see that you two have caused enough attention on us already? Honestly, the whole saloon has their eyes on us." Clive said exhaustingly, sippin' his tea with his head down.

Me and Jet slowly peered around us. All the cowboys and ruffians were staring at us in amazement and confusion. I gave a nervous laugh and waved awkwardly at them until they returned to their personal matters.

"Have you two ever considered consoling? Really, man! You two are always at it every frickin' day! It seriously _is _starting to get annoying! Come on guys, we're a team! We should have been actin' like it already after all that we've been through thus far!" Gallows pleaded.

"It is not _my_ fault. _Somebody _here refuses to lay off me whenever I'm down in the dumps." I said, defending myself.

"Sorry man, but it's just so damn funny sein' Virginia here distressed. And it wouldn't be right if I didn't cause it everyday. I'd go crazy if I didn't see her annoyed." Jet scoffed.

I gave him a cold look; so cold I was hoping that it would freeze him solid so he would shut up already.

"Aaawwww, ain't that sweet? The little squirt here needs Virginia everyday so he won't go crazy. Now that's what I call love right there! Oooohhhh!!!" Gallows mocked.

"_What the flippin' crap?!_ I course I don't love her! I sure the hell don't need her either! I don't need any of you idiots! I'd be a lot happier if she would just get the hell outta here alrea---"

"Sure, sure. Whaaateerverr you say, buddy." Gallows chuckled with disbelief.

"What are you guys talking about now?" I questioned.

"We should rest here for awhile. Long enough to regain our health. . ." Clive said wearily.

"Hey, man. . . you okay buddy?" Gallows said with concern.

"Oh, I'm quite fine." He responded with fatigue in his tone, not even giving the effort trying to fool us that he was okay. He got up from his seat and limped his way upstairs. "I'm going to bed now; I'm exhausted. You all have some free time. Do whatever you want. I don't care what you do; just _please_ try to stay out of trouble and try not to cause such a commotion. The last thing we need is another fight." He had his head hung down as if he was defeated from a battle.

"Woohoo!! You know what that means, you guys?! Party! I am so getting wasted tonight!" Gallows cried out in joy.

"I suggest that you would refrain from doing that. We've been through a perilous trek thus far, and it would be unwise to raise a ruckus with the locals because of your reckless drinking." Clive replied bluntly. "The primary thing is to recover from that ordeal we had with Janus."

His expression was so strained that I was starting to worry. Was he disappointed because we didn't fight well against Janus? Maybe he was disappointed with the team's fightin' skills or something. . .

"Whoa. . . He must be pretty tired, or pretty stressed. . . or both. I think you guys worsened it with all o' yer arguin' and whatnot." Gallows responded.

Feeling my stomach about to fall out of me, I followed Clive upstairs and shyly tapped on his door. No response. I dared to open the door, making a loud creakin' noise and carefully peered my head in for sight of him. He was standing by the window in darkness. The only light that entered the room was the light from the opened door and the bright moonlight from the window. I would have mistaken it being empty if it weren't for the moonlight shinning down on his figure.

I cleared my throat and tried to speak confidently, "E-er-- Um, Clive? A-are you alright?" I croaked. _Gosh_, _I sounded so stupid right now_. Luckily he couldn't see me blushing crimson.

". . . . . ." No response.

"I-- uh, I just wanted to check up on you. You seemed kinda down at supper." I said.

"What to do. . . What to do, indeed. . ." He muttered, what seemed like to himself.

"Are. . . . Are you okay? Y-you don't seem like yourself lately and--"

"Surely there is a way to avoid this trouble. . . But the question is how." He said to himself again.

I know he could hear me, I'm sure my stupid, croakin' voice spoiled all the silence in the room for anyone to hear me.

I dared myself to speak to him again. This time mustering all the courage to sound confident. "D-d-do you need anything?" Gah! Curse my bashfulness in front of him!

"That seems a bit risky, but I don't see any option at this point. . . Maybe it's for the best, I suppose. . ." Still talking to himself, as if he was totally unaware that I was right there.

I didn't dare walk into the room, so I stayed at my spot at the door. My fingers cringing on the door, sweating with nervous heat inside my white gloves. I used the door as some sort of shield for protection and to shy behind it. Gripping hard on the door, I started to get frustrated with myself, thinking what to say next so that I won't sound stupid again.

I took in a deep breath and gulped. This time speaking louder than before, I was sure that it could have made anyone jump, "Please, is there something wrong--"

"No, I must think this over!" He made a frustrated sigh, "Perhaps I shall think more on this tomorrow. Errh! All that horrible noise downstairs is giving me a headache-- Gallows!! I thought I told him not to be drinking!"

It was true. There was a bunch of chattering and clanging noise downstairs. Gallows could obviously be heard because he was the noisiest one. "WOOHOO!! Now this is what I call entertainment!!! Come on everyone!!! Drinks on me!! Bring on the dancers!" A crowd of cheering and applause broke out.

Clive gave another sigh, but it was exhausted rather than frustrated. "I was so foolish to let her. . . . In the first place I should have just said to her that she had let things get too far between. . . If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be in this predicament. . ." He wasn't making any sense, he was talking in sentences that faded out before they finished, then started on another. . . It finally hit me to realize that--

I felt my heart give a tightening jolt. I knew he was ignoring me on purpose.

All this time he was talking about me!

Quickly I closed the door, too scared and too hurt to hear more. I leaned my back against the door and put both hands over my beating heart. My whole body was hot, my hands were shaking as they clumsily tried to control the wild beast inside my chest; as if it might accidentally rip outside of my body if I didn't hold it. I could feel my whole body tense up.

I felt bad, sick, embarrassed and ashamed at the same time. As if this was all my fault.

I sunk down to my ankles and felt that I needed to cry.

**Gallows**

Some night. . . It was pretty lame once we had to stop enjoyin' ourselves. Virginia came sulking down here and said that we were botherin' Clive. Everyone was upset then, especially me! But boy, that look on Virginia said that she was just as disappointed as the rest of us. All thanks to Clive, who spoiled everyone's mood last night! I mean, come on! We all made it here to Little Rock after the beatin' we got from Janus. So we all deserved a little fun. Right?! I'd say that we should be celebratin' instead of mopin' around just 'cause we didn't win this round. We've done pretty good so far, and we should be congratulatin' ourselves for it.

But no. Clive's just all work and no play. "_We must stay on task and prepare for the future._" Or it's "_This is no time for celebrating, we must focus on our objectives._"

And these two kittens here just bicker and fight along the way. I mean, I 'd understand if it happened once and awhile, but _every _five minutes?! We're supposed to be a team for cryin' out loud! (_Sigh_. . .) Can't everyone just get along and be happy for once? We should be enjoyin' our little adventure here! Right?! Isn't that what being a Drifter is all about? Or am I the only one who feels that way? Man, it would pretty sad if I was the only one. . .

Well, I guess we're stickin' around here until Clive figures out what we're all gonna do next. . . He highly suggests that he figures that out himself, instead of our usual little group involvement. Or so he says.

That's totally unlike him. He always involves the whole team whenever we discuss what we're gonna do or where we're gonna go next. . . Which means he must really value each one of our opinions. But this time he's not actin' like himself. Huh, I wonder what's up?

The next day; Me, Virginia, and Jet were just tryin' to find somethin' to occupy ourselves with while Clive thinks about where we're headin' next.

I wandered off by myself to check out the town and I tell ya. . .there is absolutely nothin' to do around here! So in my disappointment, I decided to go to the ARMS smith to have my Modified Coyote M17F tuned up and ready to go. Boy, you wouldn' believe what I saw. . . The ARMs smith was totally hot! She checked my ARM and gladly gave it a tune up. Yeah, I tried to get her on a date with me, but she turned me down. . . Her lost. Just as I left the shop though, I saw a number of cuties around here. Each time I passed a girl, she was good-lookin'! Heh, and I thought there wounldna be so many cute girls here in this dead beat town. Guess I'm not bored anymore!!

***Later that afternoon***

After having a good time tryin' to win me a date with all the beauties around here (and practically getting turned down by everyone o' them), I decided to catch up with Clive, who was on the outskirts of town; practicin' his shootin', I guess.

Now, I've known Clive for awhile now. And after pickin' up how his moods and attitudes work over the passed months, I came to learn that the only time he'd be practicin' his sniper skills is when he's stressed out about something.

"Hey man, what's up?" I greeted him. I put my lovable grin on just in case; to lighten his spirits if he was still in the mood he was in from last night.

He was concentratin' so hard on one of the distant bottles lazin' out on the far rocks of the mesa that it took him some time to notice me. He took his time, lookin' through his scope, and after what seemed like a minute, he fired.

_BANG!_

I heard a faint shatter in the distance. As always, he never missed his target. "Bulls' eye!" I chanted. "Man, you've never failed to amaze me yet. You really are that professional bounty hunter that I've heard so much about!"

"Gallows?"

"Whoa, sorry man. But all that tension you carried seemed to rub off on me!" I joked.

"My apologies." He said, smiling.

_Great timing! He's in a good mood!_

"Hey! Good to see ya back to yer ol' self, buddy!"

"Yes, well, I've been very stressed these passed several weeks." He finally admitted.

"Hey man, you've gotta relax once in a while. I mean, I know you're the leader and everythin', but you seriously need to lighten up every now and then. You need to be hip and cool and to not give a damn about everything else. . .you know?! Like me!" I said, posing triumphantly.

He chuckled. "Yes, but I think that's your biggest problem right now. You're so laid back that you don't take important matters into consideration, such as your priesthood lineage to your Baskar tribe, for instance."

"Aww. Hey now, come on. Don't start _that_ with me again!" For as long as I've known Clive, he's been tryin' to convince me into seriously takin' the role as the Head Priest of the Baskar Colony. Well, sorry buddy! That ain't happenin'! Not now, Not ever!

He gave another chuckle. "So what brings you out here?"

"Well, I was bored so I just came by to see if you came up with anything yet."

"Oh, well, you see I happened to be thinking on that right now. . ." He said, unsure of himself.

"Uh-huh. . . So, do you have any ideas?" I tried to trick him into giving me just a hint of what was goin' on. As usual, he came on to me and shook his head with a smile.

"Now Gallows, I told all of you that I once I've decided, I'll let you all know. Now if you kindly don't mind, I would appreciate some time to myself." He notice my upset look, "Gallows, you know I wouldn't keep anything from everyone, but please try to be patient with me." He said calmly.

_Drats._

"Oh, um, okay then. Guess I'll let you get back to huntin' the bad guys then."

He smiled and returned on his crouching position to take down another poor, defenseless bottle. As I walked away disappointedly, I could hear three more gun shots, and then three more shattering bottles echoing on the mesa rocks soon after.

_Oh well, that failed. Guess it's time to bug Jet!_

**Jet**

Well here I am. . . Not a damn thing to do and no Virginia around in sight to annoy. I threw my boomerang around for somethin' to ease my sufferin' of complete boredom. I was keepin' up a good chain of my reflexes by catchin', until some annoying voice came ringin' into my ears.

"S'up, squirt?" Gallows greeted, with that stupid grin that made my skin crawl.

"Don't call me that." I grunted, a little frustrated now that he messed up my winnin' streak. I went to retrieve my fallen boomerang when he continued to chatter on.

"But you _are_ a squirt, did ya know that?"

"Well sorry for not being so freakishly tall like you, you big oaf." I replied shortly, repeatedly catchin' and throwin' my tool again.

"Ha! Well, can't argue with ya there! Y'know, it's not often that I come across a bloke who's as big as I am! Guess I gotta appreciate myself for that--"

"Look, what the hell do you want?!" I said, my patience quickly losing me.

"Came back from visitin' Clive, tried to get him to tell me what's on his mind. . . . ."

"_And_?!"

". . . . .And what?"

"_What did he say_, _you moron_?!"

"Uhhh. . . Didn' say much. Guess he's still thinkin' about it or maybe he already has but just doesn't want me to know yet. . ."

"Grrrrr. . . That's pissin' me off! If he knows about it, then why doesn't he tell us already? Instead of us just hangin' around this boring town with nothin' to do!"

"Well, maybe he wants us to relax for a bit, but didn't want to tell us directly." Gallows said, scratchin' his temple, unsure of himself.

"That's stupid! I don't need any restin'! I'm ready for action, bring it!"

"Yeah, but I think he mainly did it for Virginia's case."

"Arrgh! That Virginia! What good is she if she only slows us down all the time?!"

"What's your problem with her anyways? Every time we mention her name, you get all fumed and bothered about it-- Unless you--"

"No! Don't say it! _Don 't even say it, Gallows! _She just bugs the hell outta me, okay?! So drop it already, you idiot!" I nearly yelled.

"Ha, ha, okay then. . ." He said mockingly, "But anyway, check out my improved ARM!" He lifted up his mediocre ARM and shoved it in my face. "Pretty sweet, huh? The beauty at the ARMs smith shop fixed it up real nice. I offered her my appreciation by askin' her out. Unfortunately for her she skipped out on a good man."

"Pretty smart of her if you asked me. And it looks like crap, it always has! Since the first time I laid eyes on it! It looks like a sawed off shotgun for cryin' out loud!"

"Hey, shut up! And it happens to be a sawed off shotgun by the way; it's been in my family for ages, so don't joke about this. But anyways, check it out!" He tried to act all cool, waving' his ARM in the air and started firing randomly. He hit several gigantic barrels, apparently filled with gallons of water that came gushin' out. The water made a massive tidal wave and soaked the dirt, barren ground. It created one massive puddle.

"H-HEY!!! Y-Y-YOU! DID YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE, YOU BASTARD?! THAT WAS OUR YEAR'S WATER SUPPLY!!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW EXTREMELY HARD WATER IS TO COME BY?!" One of the townspeople screamed.

"Uh, hehe. . . Well, gotta work on my aimin' here. . . I didn' say I was a decent gunsman. . ." Gallows scratched his head in embarrassment and gave a goofy laugh.

"Stick to Arcana, ya moron."

* * *

I walked along the mesas on the outskirts of the town until I heard a banging noise; the unmistakable sound of a fire ARM. I could smell the instant gunpowder and rust. Heh, I had a natural gift of identifying which gun it was too; Clive's. I didn't need to see if it was him or not either, I just know. His had a unique smell to it.

Just as I peered below the mesa, I could see him at his target practicin'. Of course, he was actin' all badass with his shootin', he is the Great Sniper after all! Damn, he pisses me off. . . Actin' so damn badass in front of everyone to preserve his reputation. Pathetic.

I gave a snort of disgust and was just about to go down to bitch at him for takin' his sweet time with his decisions, makin' all of us wait. Until I saw a purple figure a short distance away from me, lookin' down at the bounty hunter. I knew who it was; it was Virginia. She was hidin' behind one of the rocks. A smirk quickly came to my face now that I have somethin' new to do; sneak up on her for a surprise attack.

Just as I walked up to her, I could see that look on her face. . . The way that she looked at him. . . Infuriated me! I grinded my teeth together until they sore out of anguish. I was so pissed off that I pulled out my boomerang, carefully aimed. . . .and watched it flung.

_SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!_

"OWWW!!! H-Hey!"

_Perfect shot!_

I gladly walked up to her and prepared for her wrath, which I enjoyed seein' so much. Right when I was close enough to her, she threw my boomerang right in my face. The slap of it stung, but it was so worth it seein' Virginia's pissed-off look.

"Why'd you scare me like that? _And why did you throw this at me_?!" She demanded.

"'Cause you were just sittin' there with a dumb look on yer face!" I growled.

She gave me a cold look, but it didn' have any effect on me.

"So what the hell you doin' up here by yerself anyways?" I questioned.

"None of your business!" She snapped. Then she had a worried look on her face all of a sudden when she looked back to Clive's direction.

"He made up his mind yet?" I asked.

"No, and he hasn't let anyone near him. Gallows went to see him, but I guess Clive told him to go away. . ." She said depressingly. "He won't let anyone see him. . .including me."

"Gallows said the exact same thing, he wouldn't even tell Gallows his plans. Damn, the nerve of that guy." I grumbled.

"What do we do now? How long do you think he's going to make us stay here? Well, it looks like for a long time judging on his attitude lately." She said quietly.

Hmm. . . That was true, Clive was being very heavyhearted during these passed weeks. . . Wouldna let anyone bother him too. Every time we rested somewhere, he would just lock himself up in his room or go off in the distant wasteland, with that stupid old notebook under his nose.

That was it. I couldn't take it any longer. I needed to settle this, I didn't like this new attitude of his.

"W-Where are you going?!" Virginia stammered as she saw me quickly making my way down the mesa in Clive's direction.

"What does it look like I'm doin'?! I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind! I am really startin' to get fed up with this crap!"

"N-no! Wait! You can't--!" Virginia called out, but she was just too slow to keep up with my pace.

I slipped and slide all the way down those rocks and after what seemed like a couple of minutes, I was already down on the ground floor. I stomped my way towards him.

"Yo!" I called out.

When he didn't respond, I walked up to him and thumped him on his back. Heh, I didn't care if I threw off his concentration. I was actually hopin' he'd get pissed off at me just for the fun of it. But to my displeasure, he just looked surprised.

"Jet? You gave me a fright." Was all he responded when he stood up to me. "Is there something on your mind?"

"You bet somethin's on my damn mind! Just who the hell do you think you are?! Avoidin' everyone when they need to hear what you've got to say! In case you didn' realize, you're the goddamn leader here, remember?!" I growled.

I was still preparin' for his outburst, but he just sighed instead. He smiled at me and said calmly "Jet, I realize that. . .and I think I finally came to a decision." He turned his back to me and stared out in the wasteland with his hands behind his back. I had to admit, I was curious on what he was thinkin' about. . . I've always thought of him as some kind of mystery.

"There have been several matters that have been vexing me for some time now. . ."

"So?!"

"_So_, I've been noticing that our team has been having a difficult time. . .engaging in combat, to be precise."

"Sure as hell see that myself!" I said, agreeing with him on that point.

"You've noticed too?" He chuckled, "I'll be modest, our team is somewhat frail; Gallows isn't very accurate with his ARM, meaning he has very little might. A brilliant Arcana user, yes magic especially, I'd say that he could be an actual threat should he have proper training. That's why I strongly suggested that he should prepare for his priesthood. Just imagine how our team would be with a powerful Arcanist! But unfortunately, his listening skills and responsibility seem to fail him. He absolutely refuses to do just that. And as for Virginia. . . Well, I'm afraid she has a lot to learn. As you obviously can see, she is the weakest on our team. A quick sharpshooter yes, but has very little effect. The only real experience she has with ARMs were the teachings of her father. . .but I'm afraid that will only get her so far out here in the wasteland. . . Hardly a skilled Drifter can survive out here in these vicious lands. Just imagine how its like for a greenhorn."

"Yeah, yeah! I know where yer comin' from!" I said, agreein' that are team was cheap as hell.

"But you and I, we are the power house of the team. Gallows and Virginia depend on us to get the team out of risky predicaments, particularly in combat."

"Yeah we are!" I said gladly. "I see what yer thinking' on Clive, but what's this all about? Is this what's been on yer mind lately?" I asked.

"Yes and no. You see, I'm an expert on planning out strategies and preparation. . .but I failed to get our team stronger. I try to get everyone to train everyday, but Gallows refuses to get serious and Virginia has no experience. I'm afraid she might hurt herself if we were to train constantly."

"Hmm, yeah she's pretty green compared to us ruffians, huh?" I responded.

He chuckled, "Now you finally know how nervous I get when we engage into conflicts; I constantly worry about her--"

"Get to the point, sniper. What are you thinkin' about?"

"Well, I know that the team's growth level is somewhat constant. No matter how far we progress in the wilderness, we stay at the same level. That could be very dangerous. And matters will only get more difficult as we continue on in the wasteland. We need to be stronger in order to prepare for that. You've witnessed that during the fight we had with Janus."

"Yeah? And what's your decision now, boss?"

"I was actually thinking about this decision last night before I went to sleep. . .but I decided to overlook it. . . Yet after speaking with you now, you just brought it up again and I don't see any other option. . ."

"What is it?"

"Our team needs to train hard to get stronger."

"Hell yeah we need to!"

"And I haven't been very beneficial in that category."

"You sure the hell haven't!"

"So we need an expert who's prepared and who's been training nearly all his life for the dangers of the wasteland. . ."

"You bet we do!"

"So that is why I have decided for you to take over as leader of this team from now on."

"You know it--- Wha. . . . Hold on! _Now just wait a goddamn minute! _What?! _WHAT?!?_"

* * *

**A/N:** Well, this chapter took longer than it was necessary, but I think it was enough to keep you guys entertained. Next week: Chapter 9.


	9. The Stupid Decision

**A/N:** So here it is! Chapter 9. As I mentioned in the beginning, I'm not following directly with the storyline in the game. This is all about this little awkward love triangle with Virginia, Clive, and Jet. So there's going to be some skipping around in the events of the game.

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Stupid Decision**

**Jet**

"What?! _Have you gone insane or somethin'?!_" I stuttered with disbelief.

"Now, I know this may come to you as a shock, but--"

"What the hell would make you think that I would want to lead you bastards?!" I shouted.

"Jet, please listen to me--"

"Didn't I say in the beginnin', when you took over as leader, that I wasn't cut out to be responsible for the actions of you idiots?!" I howled.

"If you would just calm down and listen to what I have to say--"

"No! I only look after myself! I hate lookin' after others! Arrgh!! This is why I don't like travelin' with people! They depend on you for everythin'! Can't even look after their own damn weight! Dammit! Damn it all!! Why the hell should I have ta take care of all of ya when I don't even give a damn about--"

Before I could even finish my bitchin', Clive grabbed me by the front of my scarf and dragged me up to his face. Too close that my feet left the ground and I dangled helplessly as those piercing blue eyes left me frozen. Those eyes behind his glasses paralyzed me to a point where I couldn't think. I have never been this intimidated by him before. Clive, of all people! His face was expressionless, but those warnin' eyes kept my brain and my mouth silent.

"Now listen to me Jet, I'm willing to make a bargain with you, but you must cooperate with me." He said calmly. My nose was barely an inch away from his.

"But--!"

"Shh! Now Jet, if you kindly pay attention to what I have to say, I will gladly put you down. You do not want to make me angry; I'm a very gentle person at heart and I would hate to get rough with you. It's out of my character. But I'm willing to do so if you do not cooperate with me peacefully. Understood?" He said firmly.

With no choice, I had to nod in agreement; it was all my brain could tell me to do. He closed his eyes, breakin' his hypnotic gaze on me, then smiled with relief as he gently put me down. I was still in shock by his odd behavior. I tell ya, man. This guy is full of surprises; you think you the guy, but he turns on ya. He wasn't angry, but that serious look on his face a minute ago was pretty scary, even for me. Heh, I always used to thought that calm and quiet guys were harmless. Just imaginin' how it would be when he's really angry. . . .well, I had no desire to know anymore. . .

This guy was startin' to seem like some sort of a nut job to me, so I was willing to listen to him from now on during this point.

**Gallows**

So yeah, Me and Virginia were just hangin' around, wonderin' what the heck was going on. Until Jet and Clive came into view. Clive had a smile on his face, so all was well again I thought. Until I saw the look on Jet; his expression was somber and grumpier than usual. His scowling made me wonder what was up.

"Hey, what's going on?" I questioned.

"Good news everyone!" Clive said joyfully (Jet made an agitated groan), "I've finally came to a solution."

Me and Virginia suddenly became alert, our faces were beamin' with excitement. Clive put a firm hand on Jet's shoulder, who was obviously sulkin' as he was lookin' away.

"Jet here is going to become the next leader of this group." Clive said merrily.

"_WHAAAAAAT?!_" We cried in unison.

"That's right, Jet will become a fine team leader. I'd say that this will become a valuable experience for him. This will teach him how to care for others and how to cooperate with them. He will learn to accept other people into his solitary life." Jet made another quiet groan in complaint.

"Clive, buddy, are you high on somethin' man?! I mean, this is Jet! Y'know? _Jet_, who was the one that kept gettin' us into trouble with that smart mouth of his? The one who's gettin' the best outta those hidden traps because of his foolish lust for treasure? Why do you think that this little punk here should deserve to lead us?!" I pleaded.

"Hey, watch yerself, you Baskar twit. Don't think that I'm just gonna stand here and take that from ya." Jet said miserably, with almost no threat in his words.

"P-please, reconsider here Clive! Think about what you're doin'. . . Jeopardizin' the team just for the sake of him takin' over. . . You're smarter than this, I know it. Please show me that you are." Virginia said sadly. Clearly she was disappointed just as much as I was.

"Ya see?! Didn't I tell ya that this is what their reaction would be?! They don't want me to be the one directin' here, and I sure as hell don't wanna be either! So why don't we just stick with you for awhile, sniper? Let's just forget about all of this and--" Jet fell silent as soon as his mopin' gaze fell on Clive's cold one.

"Now listen everyone, I'm not quitting my position here. I'm merely making Jet as an assistant of mine. I'll still guide and strategize for the team; but Jet here will become responsible for training you all to become powerful Drifters. He will be in command of getting us stronger along the way." Clive said reassuringly.

That didn't make Virginia or me feel any more comfortable.

"Look, there is no way that I will ever let Jet lead us into anything dangerous. I'll be keeping a sharp eye on him all the time, so there's no need to worry about him getting us into something brash. Please, just trust me on this." Clive said, almost beggin' us to accept his choice.

"Well. . . I guess you've never let us down before. We've never had anythin' life threatenin' happen to us so far with you bein' leader. I guess I have no choice. . . Aw, hell! Go for it then!" I reluctantly agreed.

"Thank you for your support Gallows, I'm glad to see that you're okay with that." Clive smiled serenely.

"Well, I'm not okay with it!" Virginia snapped bitterly, "I am not fine with it at all! We all voted for you to be the leader back in Claiborne, not you and Jet, _but only you_! Just you! Why should Jet be half the leader here?! Why not Gallows?! It would be a heck of a lot safer with him! Wouldn't that mean our team will suffer half the consequences with him bossin' us around?!"

"Virginia please,"

Virginia shook her head violently, "No. . . If you do this, then. . . Then I'm leaving! I don't think I could take this. It's worse enough just havin' him on the team, but him ordering me around?! I couldn't stand it! I will not be ordered around by some-- some arrogant, small-minded jerk!" Virginia screamed in a frenzied tone.

"Don't leave Virginia, we've come a long way already. I would truly be heartbroken if you left us now." Clive said with sorrow.

"N-no, you wouldn't. . ." Virginia quietly said gloomily, her gaze wonderin' elsewhere.

"Yes, In fact I would greatly be disappointed if you were gone." Clive said softly.

Virginia's agitated look was completely replaced with a warming, sympathetic one. Her eyes were adorned with sweet emotion, almost as if she was gonna cry. Me and Jet stared at her out of complete bewilderment and Clive looked at her in surprise and wonderment. Quickly, she looked away from his gaze, her cheeks blushin' in a cute way.

She shyly placed her eyes on him again and Clive smiled at her warmly. She quickly looked at her feet and placed a hand over her mouth and gave a fake cough. I've never seen her so gitty before. . .

_. . . . What in the hell is all this about?_

After an awkward minute's of silence, Jet gave an irritated groan.

"Oh. . . Um, okay then. I-I'll stay if you want me to. . ." She said bashfully.

"Good," Clive was smiling with ease. "Now, I can't be the one in charge of everything. It was starting to become such a stressful matter for me to handle. It would be no wonder why that you decided to step down Virginia." (He looked over to her, but she looked down at her feet again.) "I'll assure you, nothing will go wrong with this. With two leaders, we're twice as much better than before, you all shall see." Clive said confidently.

I on the other hand, felt my stomach churning in a sick way. Virginia had a look like she was suffocatin' or somethin'. Jet continued to brood, sulkin' his face behind his scarf.

"So, are we all fine with this?" Clive said cheerfully, as if he was really sure of himself. He looked hopefully at us.

I grunted, "We're totally screwed. This is a retarded decision." I complained.

"Oh boy, I'm with you there Gallows." Virginia sighed in agreement.

". . . . .Whatever." Jet grumbled.

*******

Later on, we were walkin' back to Little Rock after our first serious trainin', which didn't go so well by the way. Virginia accidentally shot a poor creature, which didn't turn out to be a monster, but a defenseless little, fluffy, bunny rabbit. Huh, poor little guy. . . Virginia felt awful afterwards. The guilt was totally killing her and walked back silently with her head down as a result. As for me, well. . . Couldn't even hit a target to save my life! Boy, I must have some pretty suckish accuracy or somethin' because I was about two or three feet off. It didn't help to have an angry Jet screamin' at me either. He'd be all like "Hit the damn thing, you moron!" and I'd be like "I'm tryin' to, runt! Try bein' helpful for once and give me some advise on how to fire directly at it!" "Try shootin' at it!" "_I know that_, genius. But I can't! It's too damn fast." "Not my fault that you can't shoot properly, you jackass!" Man, we were at it for hours. Virginia seemed like she was about to cry, either for killing a cute bunny or couldn't make a single dent in her targets, I don't know which. And Clive looked like he'd given up on trying to make peace between Jet and me. He stood there with his arms crossed, watchin' us argue with a weary look on his face.

Yeah, we were pretty exhausted walkin' all the way back. We had a long day. I walked up to Clive just for chattin'. "Hey, man. S'up?"

"Gallows, you could have taken today's training a little bit more seriously." Clive said.

"Ha, ha! Guess I should have, huh? But hey, that's not what I wanna chat with you about. You're actually pretty happy with Jet helpin' you out, huh?"

He gave a mysterious smile, "Well, of course. We made a deal together after all. He'll help me straightening out the team; while I'll help him become more sociable."

"Oh. . ." I said, not even getting the gist of what he meant by that. Why the heck would Jet want to become sociable? I'm pretty sure that he didn't care for stuff like that. Then I dropped my pace to reach the sulking Jet, who looked pretty upset with somethin'.

"Hey, you little punk! Why the long face?" I placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

I was expectin' that he would punch it outta the way and yell at me some more, but surprisingly he didn't. ". . .Did you see the look on her face? She was so upset when she found out about me taken over as boss. She was even willing to leave if I took over. . . And it looked like she meant it too. . . She must really hate me. . ." Jet said with a spiritless attitude, he was still mopin' behind his scarf with his head hung down.

"Hmm. . . Can't say that I don't blame her. You've been kind of a jackass to her since you guys first met." I pointed out.

"Whatever." He roughly shrugged his shoulder so my hand would fall, then quickened his pace to walk ahead of me.

I stopped walkin' and fell back. "_Jeeze_, am I the only one here who has any mirth left at all?!"

**Clive**

***Later that evening***

Well, today's training happened to be a disaster. I would half expect for it to go smoothly anyways. Honestly, how old do Gallows and Jet think they are? I merely see two childish boys in the form of adult males. All that taunting and profanity. . . I haven't witness that since I was a student! As it would seem, my plan for Jet and I for leadership is starting to back fire. . .

I walked out of the saloon, away from the nonsense Gallows created by offering free drinks once again. It was a starry night, and the moon was full too. A truly warm and beautiful night just to relax. I suddenly spotted Jet from the balcony from the inn as I looked above me. Apparently he was looking at the stars as well. So I decided to go up and try to engage into a friendly conversation with him. I would imagine that he would be rather bitter with me for forcing him into this awkward position.

"Jet?" I alerted him from behind, as he sat with his hands behind his head, gazing beyond.

". . . . . . . . "

"Jet, would you mind if I join you?"

"No, have a seat." He offered bluntly.

"Why, thank you." I didn't expect him to say that, but I sat beside him anyways. I looked above me again at the glittering night sky. "My, it certainly is a beautiful night, don't you agree?"

"Yeah, whatever. . ." He responded gloomily.

I sighed, and gave up on my attempt to lighten his mood, knowing that I would only get similar results if I continued further. "Jet, aside from your regular mood with Gallows this afternoon, I took notice that you were rather. . .distressed about something."

He didn't respond at first, but looked away from me. "Just. . . .mind your own business, you damn bounty hunter. . ." He miserably mumbled.

I sighed again and shook my head sadly. "Despite what it may look like, I thought you did a superb job today; trying to follow what I requested for. I truly appreciate what you've done for me." I said as sincerely as I could.

He grunted with doubt. "So, how long you gonna ignore Virginia?" He said suddenly that it caught me off guard.

"I beg your pardon?" I responded, taken aback that he would say something so unexpectedly.

"Well, I've been noticin' that you go outta yer way by dodgin' her whenever she comes around you." He responded straightforwardly.

I looked at him questioningly, "Ah, well. . . I see you've noticed, but I see it that it has nothing to do with your concern."

"What? Why are you sayin' that?" I suddenly got his attention as he looked at me. "You always bug us about our business, why should you not tell us yours?" he demanded.

I chuckled at his reaction. "You see? Nobody likes it when somebody gives you the cold shoulder when they ask about you." I informed warmly to him.

He gave me an annoyed glare.

"But yes, you are right. I have been trying to get Virginia to realize that. . . ." I broke off, thinking to myself as I stared off into the distance.

"Well, whatever you're doin' to her, she's pretty upset over it, so stop it already." He said grimly.

I looked at him out of curiosity. "Now why would you be so concerned with Virginia all of a sudden?"

"---Because. . . I'm the only one that can upset her, okay?!" He reluctantly admitted, "Damn, you and Gallows are the same, always gettin' on my case when it comes to her."

"Yes, well." I adjusted my glasses, "I suppose I'm just upset that she left me with the responsibility of the team. I remembered what I was stating last night when she came to check up on me; I was stating that I was so foolish to let her give up on her own responsibility as the leader, she was the one who set us together to be a team in the beginning. In the first place I should have just said to her that she had let things get too far between the mistakes she had made and her leadership. She shouldn't have given up so quickly just because of the mishaps that have happened when she was in charge. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be in this predicament. . .constantly worrying for the team's safety everyday."

"That's what you said? Man, she must have thought you were sayin' somethin' else by the look on her face, when she came down to stop Gallows paradin' around like an idiot last night."

Jet's words caught my attention, "Really? Was she that upset? My, I'm afraid that I feel quite awful now that you've mentioned that. . . I think I must amend to her--"

"Don't worry about her, she'll be alright." Jet said, trying to sound careless.

I laughed at his attempt to not be so worried about Virginia. I have to admit, I pitied the young boy. He absolutely had no clue who he is or where he comes from. To wander aimlessly throughout the wasteland as long as he could remember. No family to come home to, (or no home to come to for that matter). I took into consideration the things he said back in Little Twister. Why does this young man have no memory of who he truly is? Why was he abandoned to begin with?

"I suppose I must apologize to Virginia now." I sighed, feeling rather guilty for what I've done to her. I got up and turned to enter inside.

"She's asleep now, but you should just wake her anyway. She'll definitely won't mind if it's you; _especially_ if it's just you." I couldn't help but notice some venom in his words.

I turned to him, out of curiosity. "Would you kindly clarify by what you mean by that?"

He shook his head, "Nothin'. Just forget I said anything. . ." And with that, he returned to his original position, inspecting the gleaming stars.

I took no mind on urging him further, for I knew that he would just reply coldly to me. I suspected that Jet could probably hint what was happening between Virginia and I. I went inside and walked down the hall to Virginia's door. I knocked firmly. When I heard no response, I quietly entered. Now, as a gentleman, I would not dare enter a lady's room without their permission, but I had to settle this regret at once. As Jet informed me, Virginia was indeed sleeping, but not soundlessly. She seemed to be having a nightmare as I witnessed. She tossed and turned restlessly, moaning disturbingly.

I walked quietly towards her bed and sat on it. Looking down at her pale face, I felt distraught just watching her writhe in discomfort. I gently nudged her to awake.

"Virginia?" I spoke gently, "Virginia please wake up for a moment. I need to speak with you about--"

"Wha-- What?! N-n-no, please no!! Don't hurt him!! Oh, please don't kill him! I didn't mean to, honestly! Aaahh!!! The bunny. Don't kill him! I don't wanna hurt the cute little bunny rabbit! STOP IT!!" Virginia started screaming hysterically. She squirmed tumultuously as I firmly grasped her shoulders to prevent her from tumbling off the bed.

She managed to take one firm slap to my face, resulting with my glasses askew and a burning sensation on my cheek. "V-Virginia?! Please. Wake up!"

She managed to open her eyes as she was still fighting with me. She stopped fidgeting and took her time to search in the darkness to recognize me. "O-oh?! Clive! I-I didn't mean to--! I mean, I was having a nightmare and--" She frantically apologized.

I smiled, "Please, don't take any mind to it. It didn't hurt that much. And yes, I could see that you were having a rather awful dream."

She sighed in relief and relaxed as she looked out the widow. Then shortly after, her body became tensed up recollecting I was still in the room with her. "Uhh! Was I really that loud? I mean, could you hear me from outside my door? That's why you came in here to shut me up, isn't it?!"

I adjusted my crooked glasses, "Actually, I came here to talk to you about. . . .something."

Her eyes became wide with fear, and I wondered what she was thinking about just then.

"I just wanted to apologize, if it seemed l as if I was neglecting you. It wasn't only you, I was ignoring everyone, as a matter of fact. I was going under a lot of stress, and it left me unresponsive to my surroundings. So, I just wanted to say that. . . I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"N-no! Not at all! You don't need to apologize to me, Clive. I can understand that; I went through the same thing too when I was the leader. So. . . Don't feel bad. But, I should be the one who's sorry. I got you into this mess. If I wasn't so weak, you wouldn't have to take over. . ."

"Please don't blame yourself, Virginia. It was all Jet and Gallows' fault for encouraging me after all." I smiled reassuringly, "Besides, it's precisely why I made Jet into taking the oath to assist me. He got me into this predicament, it's only fair that he suffers along with me to see what it's like."

Virginia laughed at my comment, "But, you're okay now? Are you?"

"Oh yes, very. I'm secretly planning to give Jet a difficult time for getting me into this in the first place."

She smiled again. Then, another awkward silence fell between us in the dark room.

". . . . Well, that's all I came in here to say." I lied. I really wanted to talk about this awkward feeling she's been having for me now. But to be quite honest, I felt rather uncomfortable brining it up myself. So I decided to drop it.

I got up and was on my way out the door. "I hope you have better dreams, Virginia. Good night."

"W-wait--! Clive?"

"Yes, Virginia?"

She shied half her face under her blankets, "P-please. Don't ever allow me to kill another poor fluffy bunny rabbit ever again in my life! Ever!"

I chuckled at her statement. "I promise."

* * *

**A/N: **And there you have it. Chapter 10 is coming around next week, in case if any of you are interested. Yup, still continuing on. And although I'm continuing to write this mainly to ease my guilt for leaving it unfinished, I still welcome and appreciate some comments here. So it wouldn't hurt to leave some. Until then. . .


	10. Torn Between Love and Memories

**A/N:** Okay, glad to have chapter ten up and ready to go. And I'm also glad to hear from you again, El Dorado. Really! Thank you for your kind comments, I must admit they really do encourage me to write further! Please, keep them coming! Hope you like this chapter…

* * *

**Chapter 10: Torn between Love and Memories**

**Virginia**

"_I found you! I've finally found you, Daddy!"_

I could see my father walking on ahead of me…walking into the darkness.

"…_.Please, wait! I can't keep up with you!"_

I tried to call out to him, but no matter how fast I ran to him…..I could never reach him.

I lost my balanced and I tripped. The last thing I can remember is watching my father being swallowed by the darkness.

"_Daddy!"_

"Ermph! Ugh… huh---?!" I woke up and saw a familiar face in my view.

"Milady, I do believe she has awoken." Todd Dukakis called out.

_The Schroedingers….!? What are they doing here, I wonder?_

"Good!" A familiar voice responded.

Coming into view was Maya Schroedinger, my archrival. I felt the pit of my stomach feeling uneasy, since the last encounter I remember was her telling me to go home and stop pretending to be a Drifter.

"You okay?" She said sympathetically.

"Y-yes?!" I stammered, shocked to see that she was actually worried about me.

"That's good…. You blacked out after getting that beating from that iron golem thingamajig. And I'll tell you, that fussy robbed woman had no liking to all of you either…"

"Huh? …Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I remember now! We were at that Leyline Observatory place and we ran into them!" I shrieked.

"Bingo." Maya said, nodding her head.

I found the other half to the photo…and apparently Jet had memories of that place…He knew Daddy too…

As I was remembering all of this, Maya broke me from my thoughts by sayin', "Well then, if you're done resting, I guess you should go home… Obviously you're not Drifter material." She said, returning to her snobbish attitude.

"W-what?! But I've just barely started! What gives you the right to say that to me?!" I snapped at her. I've had it up to here with this 'wannabe Drifter' topic; I get enough of that from Jet and I don't need it from her either!

"What do you mean? If you continue on like this, then you're gonna eventually fall into something you can't get out of on your own. Once you pass that barrier, then I guarantee you there's no turning back. I'm only giving you some great advice here; 'Leave. Now. Before it's too late to turn back.'"

"I absolutely refuse to! I have a reason to continue on!" I explained, trying to get my point across.

"Really? Is that the reason why you act so brashly? Is it really worth it? Is it really worth risking the lives of your comrades for your selfish needs?! My goodness, you really are an amateur! You nearly lost your life today---and yet you still push on with ignorance! Just give up already and---"

"I'm willing to risk my life to see my father again! I will die trying to find him again! And there's nothing anybody, or _you_, can say to change my mind!" I burst out, impatient of trying to convince her to see my reason.

She didn't say anything for awhile, but tossed her golden hair behind her. Then in a firm, almost threatening tone, she responded, "Well, in that case… If you _ever_ come across our path again, I swear I will hold no regrets of pummeling you to this dry, withered dirt, where you belong… You best remember that, rookie." With one last smirk, she turned and walked out into the lifeless wasteland with her comrades, out of our view.

That was yesterday…

As we continued to walk on south, my head continued to ramble over the things I've encounter that twisted my emotions. The things Maya said to me; finding out Jet had memories of the Leyline Observatory and knows of Daddy… And finding the other part of the photo I've kept… I know I will find him…somewhere, someday… But the nerve of that Maya! She acts as if she knows everything there is to know about being a Drifter! Sometimes she makes my blood boil. I think she can be very insensitive at times… But I can't just put aside of what she said… Maybe I really need to reconsider my goals here…

Yet I can't give up now… I've finally have a lead on Daddy now. At first I thought I should just get on with my life, thinking he was dead and move on, but something inside of me ignited. When I first found out he might be alive, I went in over my head. I was determined to find him and I'll show that Maya Schroedinger I'm no amateur as well!

Then my mind wandered over to Jet. He knew my father… He even said that Daddy was sort of like his old man… Could that be true?! _Is he really my half-brother?! _It would be a nightmare to believe that I was actually related to that jerk!

_There's just no way!_

Everything happened so fast… Too many surprises one could possibly not take, happening to them all at once!

As if that wasn't enough, we were going south to Humphrey's Peak. Yes, this was it….. The time has finally come to confront Clive's wife and daughter… I don't know why, but that got me nervous… All it meant was more disappointment for me… To think I'll be meeting the woman, whose husband I've been having a secret crush on. That certainly strikes a terror in me! I wonder what she would be like? Well, judging from Clive's decision making skills and sharp eyes… I'll bet she's a knock out; an absolutely kind and stunning woman. Clive always had a knack of picking out the best choices, so I wouldn't doubt he did the same for choosin' the woman he'd be spending the rest of his life with… Just thinking of that twisted a knot in my stomach.

"We're nearly there now. Just a couple of ways." Clive said, with some happiness in his tone.

_Terrific…_

**Gallows**

As Clive informed us that we were gettin' closer to his home, I got excited. Man, I sure was hungry! Maybe I'll finally get a decent meal here, after eatin' the garbage they called food at the taverns we passed by. Heh, I'll admit that I was pretty anxious to meet Clive's family though. I just hope his wife knows how to cook some real good food!

But you know? I couldn't just shake off the thought of the Guardians… The state we found the Guardian Stare Roe back at Glimmering Emblem wasn't good at all… Luckily for us, it still had enough juice to give us its Medium. We just gotta save 'em….one Guardian at the time! Come hell or high water, we're gonna stop the Prophets' dirty little plans! Whatever they may be… The only thing that's gonna get in our way is that big metal thingy, what was it? Oh yeah, I think Melody called it Asgard or whatever. And then there was Jet's case too, I thought he said he had no memories? But then, how did he know his way around the Leyline Observatory? Hmm… Something was a little fishy there…

"Here we are."

I looked up and saw our destination.

"This is Humphrey's Peak? Oh…um, it sure is pretty." Virginia said.

"Oh yeah, sure is! Pretty nice place you got here Clive, but hey it's kinda hard to imagine that you have an actual home; you're always travelin' all the time and fighten' the bad guys." I joked.

"Well I happen to be a bounty hunter after all, offering my servitude means I'll have to wander elsewhere to take care of business. Not to mention, I'm still studying the cause of Filgaia's decay. Yet, it can be very tiresome at times, when I just want to spend time with my family." Clive said, almost disappointedly.

"Well heck buddy, what are you waitin' for?! You've been alone long enough already! They're only a few strides away, so what's keeping' you? Ha, I'll bet your kid and your lady is anxiously awaiting for you too!" I gleefully encouraged him.

"You're right. It has been some time since I've come home, I think it would be a good idea to train around here for awhile. In time, we should be qualified enough to challenge the Prophets again. That means I'll get to spend some time with my family as well. What do you say to that Jet?" Clive smiled at Jet's direction, who was pretty much quiet since we left the Leyline Observatory.

"Oh, er…yeah whatever." He said in his sulky attitude.

"'Yeah whatever'? Shall I take that as a yes then, my leader?" Clive said teasingly.

"Sure, sure! Do whatever you want! _Just don't call me that, okay_? Let's just get one thing straight between us, sniper. I'm willing to help you out here with beefin' up the team, but until then I'm only part-time leader here, got it? _Just half_. In other words, you're still the leader, you hear? I'm just like you said I was, 'I'm your assistant'." He harshly yelled.

"Yup! Clive's the coach and Jet's the assistant coach!" I kid.

Clive gave a soft chuckle, and Jet frowned sourly. And Virginia…well, she's been awfully quiet too… She just stared forward into the town. I guess she's been doin' a lotta thinkin' of the stuff she's been through. Her mind was elsewhere and I don't blame her. I'd be pretty speechless too, if I found out that my old man was still livin'.

"Allow me to introduce my wife and daughter." Clive said merrily, as we continued to walk.

However, as Virginia and Jet continued further, Clive blocked my path with his arm. I looked at him surprisingly and he gave me one seriously scary look.

"Now Gallows, we're all aware of what your impression of women is. And I must inform you of something." He said in a brusque tone.

I nodded my head, sorta feelin' threaten by his words.

"My wife is _OFF_ limits. So don't you even dare try to advance into anything that I find inappropriate." He warned, gettin' his point across.

"W-w-what---?! Heh, heh, I-I don't know what you're talkin' about buddy! I mean, come on! M-m-making a move on my best friend's wife?! That's messed up! Are you crazy?! I would never betray you! Come on, you know me better than that!" I stuttered, completely shocked at his statement.

"For your sake, you better hope I do. You try anything odd, and I'll swear to make you my next target practice." He responded coldly.

_Whoa, who knew Clive was so territorial with his woman?!_

Heh, heh, guess I gotta watch what I'm doin' when he's around!

We finally reached Clive's house and entered. The place appeared to have nobody in it, until I saw some tiny figure reading a book.

"Catherine? Kaitlyn? I'm home." Clive called out.

"Daddy!" the tiny girl squealed, she dropped the book she was readin' as she ran up to Clive.

Clive picked up the kid and she gave a delightful giggle, happy to be reunited with her father. She hugged him with affection. Clive looked really happy too, laughing merrily now that he was with his family again. The little girl had to be about six or seven years old. Ha, and she sure was adorable alright! I must admit, the scene was very touching and cute. I cooed a soft "awww" inside my mind. I've never seen Clive so happy before either, so I was pretty glad to see him like this for the first time. Heck I won't lie neither, this joyful reunion really touched my heart!

I looked over at my comrades to see if they were feelin' the same way. Sure enough, I could see Virginia was touched just as much as I was. But I couldn't help sense there was some sadness in there too. Golly, I'm bettin' she must really be missin' her father right about now too. Jet on the other hand, stood there lookin' rather impressed and dumbfounded that Clive actually had a kid.

Just then, the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on appeared. "Oh?! What a surprise! I didn't expect for you to be back so suddenly, dear!" The woman exclaimed. She had a very soft and gentle voice that could melt just about any ruffian's heart away. She gave one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. My whole body froze instantly.

_Holy Frickin' Crap….!_

"I didn't mean to surprise you Catherine, but my comrades and I decided to stop here and refresh."

"Well in any case, welcome home! We've been missing you terribly!" The angel walked over to her husband and gave a soft kiss on his cheek and embraced him warmly.

_Clive, you damn lucky son of a bitch!_

"Please, allow me to introduce you to my friends." Clive said. But I didn't wait for him to introduce me.

Without even thinking', I rushed up to the charmin' beauty (knockin' Virginia outta the way absent-mindedly) and grasped her soft, angelic hand and shook it eagerly. "The name's Gallows Carradine, ma'am! I'm an up and comin' priest, you know! So if there's anything you need, just ask me! I can be your bodyguard, magic-user, or anything you want me to be ma'am! I'll stand by your side twenty-four hours and seven days a week if I have ta! It's my duty to protect beautiful women, such as yourself."

I musta shook her hand too vigorously, because I was yankin' her all over the place. She laughed nervously as she tried to retrieve her arm back before I could brake it off, "O-oh! Well, it's a pleasure to meet you too Mr. Gallows---"

"No, no, ma'am! Just call me Gallows! And trust me, the pleasure is _all_ mine I'll assure you! That's right, just call me for anything and I'll be sure to---"

"_That's quite enough, Gallows_." Clive warned.

"U-um! H-howdy! I-I'm Virginia Maxwell, and this loser standing beside me is named Jet Enduro." Virginia said nervously, placing a firm hand on Jet (who had his jaw dropped in amazement of Clive's wife, too). "Clive's been teachin' us so much about everything, we're very glad, not to mention lucky, to have him as a valuable team member!"

The woman smile tenderly, "Hello, my name is Catherine, and this is our daughter Kaitlyn." The little girl waved compassionately at us, "Please, make yourselves at home and I'll prepare dinner for everyone shortly."

"OH YEAH! _Awesome_!" I howled, finally relieved I'll get something in my belly after our tough journey from the Leyline Observatory.

"Yes, well we'll be training outside of town in the meantime. We must build our strength after all." Clive said, looking hopefully towards Jet, who suddenly had a grumpy look on his face. More hell for him to handle, I guess.

Catherine's heartwarmin' smile faded and she appeared worried all of a sudden.

"Now, now, we'll be alright. I'll be sure to be careful, haven't I've always been? So there's no need to worry." Clive smiled reassuringly to his wife.

"Oh, well… I suppose… Just be sure watch yourselves, all of you." She said, still unsure of Clive's promise.

"No need to worry, ma'am! I'll take good care of your husband for ya!" I said gleefully, punching Clive softly in the arm, apparently too hard as he nearly lost his balance.

She smiled again. "Thank you, Mr.-- Ah! I mean, Gallows." she said, with her soft lyrical voice that made me woozy inside.

**Jet**

As we were in combat mode outside of town, I still felt awkward after that Leyline Observatory incident. I still couldn't believe myself; I had memories! How can that be? Am I supposed to have memories? Was I supposed to? This isn't right, I couldn't recall any point in my life outta the blue like that, until just then when I first stepped into that observatory. I was so confused with myself… I wanted anyone to tell me what the hell was wrong with me. Despite that, I've been secretly feelin' good since Virginia promised me that she'll help me find my memories back in Little Twister. She sorta somewhat cares for me I guess and I was glad for that. But I still felt unsure of myself.

Even more weird was knowin' Werner turned out to be Virginia's old man… Now that's a shell-shocker! After learnin' that little piece of information (and witnessin' Virginia nearly havin' a heart-attack thinking' her dad was screwin' around with other women), I wasn't up to sticking with the group anymore. I didn't need this… Learning of Filgaia's history? No thanks, that shit ain't for me. I'm just a wanderin' Drifter who's only in it for profit. I ain't no damn researcher or scientist like Clive was… That's why I thought of bailing out that night… Until I ran into that damn Werner again… I thought he would know why I didn't have any memories, but the damn man wouldn't tell me. I know he has some kind of idea why. And like Virginia, I was determined to trail him down and demand him what he knows of me. With no choice, I had to stick around, to my displeasure. Damn him!

"Gallows! What the hell do you think this is? Some cheap little practice session?! We ain't hittin' bottles anymore! Quit screwin' around and hit the damn thing!" I yelled, getting some sense into him after he missed four shots at the massive monster.

"Virginia?! Come on! Put a little more force into those cheap little bullets of yours! Try Gatling instead of shootin' one at a time!" Virginia was definitely the quickest, but I ain't lying, those tiny ARMs of hers ain't helpin' us much.

"Nice job, Clive! Good Critical Hit! But try being a little faster! You're as slow as Gallows's wit!"

"_What was that, you little twerp_!? Look's who's tryin' to act all badass with his little machine gun and everythin'! Come on then, have at it! You think you can take me on?!"

"Do somethin'!" I challenged Gallows.

"That's it, you said it!" I saw Gallows charging at me. And okay, not that I was chicken shit or whatever, but I knew Gallows could really give me a real beatin' if he wanted to. I stood no chance against him when it came to sizes. So I ran, apparently for my life.

"Oh, shit!" I dropped my Airget--lahm and started runnin' as fast as I could. The giant Baskar couldn't keep up with me however.

"Come back here you little punk, and face me like the little bitch you claim to be!"

After runnin' around in circles like idiots, Clive decided to restore order himself, "That's enough! Gallows, don't you even dare to--- Jet!! _Put your weapon down and don't you even try to fire at him_!"

*******

The purple sunset swallowed the previous pink color, then faded into a darker blue. We, well actually I, decided to end practice then. Since Gallows wouldn't shut his yap about his stomach growlin'. It was pretty late, so it was probably a good idea to head on back (heh, my stomach was growlin' too).

As much as I hate to admit it, I liked the bounty hunter's family. The wife knows how to cook, her looks are more than average than I expected, and has a great personality to boot. Yes, I even liked the kid too. As much as I hated children, this little kid was okay. She was pretty cute at the things she does and the things she says. I couldn't help but feeling fond of her, but like hell I was ever gonna admit it out loud. So the sniper's been doin' pretty good for himself. He has great family. Hell, he's a very lucky guy.

My question is however; if he has it all, then why does he do the things he does? Why would he leave his ideal family behind and be riskin' his own skin by savin' others he doesn't even know? He should be stayin' home with his family and protectin' them instead! He would risk it all just for the sake of others and to find the lost history of Filgaia, which I find pretty worthless if you asked me. For a highly educated man, he's pretty stupid. But that's his problem, I guess. I'll never understand Clive! No matter how hard I try to! This guy is an enigma alright.

But anyways, I just hope Virginia could see how satisfied he is with his own family and just lay off him! Maybe after seein' his family today, Virginia will finally get some sense into that thick skull of hers.

**Virginia**

It was worse than I realized… Ten times as worse.

Clive had a wonderful family. Little Kaitlyn was so cute and adorable just as I imagine. I couldn't help but shed a small tear the way she lit up as she rushed over to Clive. At that same moment, I couldn't help but see myself in that little girl, running up to my Daddy. Experiencing the same joy as my father returned home from traveling out in the wasteland.

And then there was his wife. She wasn't anything like I would be expecting; _she was far more than that_. She was perfect and she was absolutely gorgeous. I instantly felt inferior when I was around this woman. How could I compete with that? How would I ever compare to her? I knew I had to watch my actions with Clive, especially when she was around. I felt uneasy thinking of taking her husband away from this kind, gentle woman. But it didn't matter… There was no way I was ever gonna catch Clive's interest in _that_ way. Even if I did, it would be absolutely wrong to be messing around with a married man. Virginia Maxwell is _not_ that sort of woman! But he was happy… There shouldn't be any reason why he would be interested in other women. Besides, he was a lot older than me. But what would Aunt Shalte and Uncle Tesla think? _What would mom say if she was still alive_?! Never mind, it will never happen… They were meant for each other and I just got to live with that. I've got to get over this silly little crush and push on! Why? Why did this had to happen to me?! And why did it have to be on him?!

"Man, that was sure some good eatin'!" Gallows exclaimed after dinner. "Ha, my friend! I must say that you do have a pretty good eye when it comes to women. Seriously! Your wife is very outgoing, _sublimely_ beautiful, and she knows how to cook some real good food too! What more can a man ask for?! Shucks, you are the luckiest man in Filgaia!"

Clive laughed at Gallows's comment, "Why, thank you. I do believe that I am rather fortunate to have married a righteous woman myself."

"I'll say! Well, guess I should hit the hay. I'm pretty tired. Guess I wasted all my energy trying to catch that worthless squirt."

"Yeah, instead you should have been using that energy trying to actually be helpful in battle today." Jet responded coldly.

*******

Gallows went to sleep and Jet was outside, wanting to be alone I guess. I spend some time with Kaitlyn, which I did enjoyed. She apparently was interested of the Drifter life, so she asked me a bunch of questions of my journey so far. I gladly replied and told her all sorts of stories of what I heard of and what I've witness so far. Surprisingly she was interested in all the things I had to say and listened patiently. I must have been talking for awhile because Catherine came into the room and informed me.

"My, look at the time! I'm sorry Virginia, but Kaitlyn needs to go to bed now. You girls can talk again tomorrow." Catherine said politely.

"Okay mommy. Good night Virginia!" Kaitlyn ran up to me to give me a hug. I smiled, she really was the sweetest thing.

Just then Clive came in. "I'll put her to bed, Catherine. Don't worry yourself." he volunteered. He spotted me then smiled, then feeling myself turning red like a tomato, I quickly looked away.

"Oh, alright then, dear. I suppose I'll wash the dishes then."

Clive picked up Kaitlyn and went to the other room. Kaitlyn gave a quick wave to me and I waved back. Just then, I was alone with Catherine. That's when I started to get nervous. "Err-- Would you like me to help you Catherine?" I said, feeling it would be polite since she cooked for us.

She smiled at me, "You don't need to do that Virginia, you're a guest here. Please don't trouble yourself about it." she said softly.

"But--! It's the least I could do. You cooked for us and everything! Please allow me to help." I assured her.

"Well okay then, thank you very much." She said warmly.

So I decided to help her wash dishes, even though I felt nervous around her. But I came to learn that there was nothing to be afraid of as we had a friendly conversation together. She was a very intelligent woman, just like her husband. And she like to read too. Suddenly, all my fears of her disappeared and I've grown to really like this calm woman. All the friends I've made so far were nothing but boys, unless if you consider Maya (But I really don't consider her as a friend), so it was really nice to have a girl on girl chat. Just us girls.

"Anyways Catherine, you're very lucky to have Clive as a husband." I admitted. "I mean, it's not likely to come across an intelligent gentleman, such as himself."

"Thank you for saying that, Virginia. But I must admit myself, I'm rather envious of you." Catherine said calmly.

_Huh?! A woman like that? Jealous of me?! What's there to be jealous of?_

I became confused of what she said. There isn't any reason for a woman to be jealous of me… "What do you mean?" I asked stupidly.

"Well, you're a Drifter. And not just an ordinary Drifter, but a female Drifter. You know how rare that is? Most people don't think its right, but I believe it's rather brave of them." she said, handing me a dish to dry.

Catherine's words surprised me. "Well, uh, a lot of girls are Drifters you know. I know a girl who happens to be a Drifter as well." I said, wiping the dish dry.

"Is that so? I've hardly know any. Well in these parts of the region, it's very uncommon… They actually find it rather offensive and un-ladylike. Oh---! Don't get the wrong idea Virginia dear, I'm not saying you aren't. But some perceive it that way. Most believe that Drifters are only ruffians who have no heart." Catherine said sadly.

"I don't think so…" I disagreed.

"I don't believe so either. My husband is a Drifter and he's anything but. And I don't see how you, Gallows, and Jet are either." Catherine said sincerely.

_Well__… Maybe Jet is sort of…_

"My point is, I'm envious of you because as a woman, you can travel to anywhere you please… You get to experience the unknown wasteland and enjoy every minute of it. You don't know how very fortunate you are, Virginia."

"Well, its not all good. There's nothing special out in the wasteland, its just boring." I said, assuring her that she wasn't missing anything.

"Really? Then if you don't mind me asking, why did you become a Drifter?" She asked cautiously, as if she wasn't trying to offend me.

"To tell you the truth, I want to find my father, who's been missing for a real long time. I know that there's a possibility that he may be…dead, but I've got a strong feeling he's out there somewhere. I know, it sounds stupid."

"No, no. I don't think so. I think its rather brave of you dear, and very caring. But I'm sorry to hear that your father has been missing. I'm glad to hear that you still have hope for him however. Some say that women shouldn't be Drifters, but I strongly disagree. Women should have just as much right to do what they please."

"….Did you ever wanted to be a Drifter, Catherine?" I questioned.

"Me? Oh goodness, no… Not really. Well, maybe when I was just a little girl, but my father would never allow that. Besides, I was too weak and too inexperienced."

_Gee… That sounds awfully familiar…_

"But yes, you have a lot of knowledge and strength and you know what it means to be a true Drifter."

I gave a nervous laugh. "Uh, yeah! Sure do!" I lied.

**Clive**

***Later that night***

My mind continued to race over the rejuvenation data we've witnessed back at the Leyline Observatory. I've never encountered such phenomenal information, and then there was the golem Asgard too. A machine that was capable of correlating current situations with past data to calculate the best course of action in battle. There was no way such a technology could function like that in this day and age…and the evolution of the planet that the prophets mentioned… and the missing torn photo with the scientists… This all led me back to the history of Filgaia. As a former archeologist, I could not just put that aside! I spent hours in my study, reading book after book covering Filgaia's past history. I was sure to find more clues in my research materials.

Just then, I heard a soft knock on the door. Catherine entered, looking rather shocked to see the state I was in. "Are you still up? Do you know what time it is, honey? Everyone's gone to sleep already." She said worriedly.

"Yes, but Catherine, you don't realize what I've encountered thus far. All the information I've gathered… I'm one step closer to solving---"

She looked around my study; books were piled in stacks all around the room, including my desk. Then she sighed disappointedly, "You know I don't like it when you get like this… You get so absorbed into your research that you forget to eat, not to mention sleep sometimes…"

"I promise, I won't over do it this time Catherine." I assured her with a smile, as I placed my arm over her small waist.

She leaned her head on my chest and responded, with doubt, "You said that last time." She caught me.

"Well, err…this time I mean it. I'll only be awake for a little while longer." I said, not sounding sure of myself.

"For how long?" She challenged me.

"I….well, I--"

"See? You don't seem too sure of yourself." She caught my bluff again as she laughed softly.

I rested my cheek against her hair, "Well, then I suppose I'll stay awake as long as you want me to." I whispered.

"Good. Then come to bed already."

"Now?! But I've just stared my research." I protested gently.

She looked around the stack of books surrounding us again. Then she smiled at me, "It doesn't appear to be that way, does it?"

I was at a loss of words, for she was the only person I could never persuade. No matter how smooth and collective I could be. She was just as stubborn as her father was.

She laughed at my hesitation, then she carefully took off my glasses. "Your eyes are bloodshot. Did you know that? You are getting tired…" She teased.

It was true, my eyes were sore from all the reading I have done. Fatigue overwhelmed me.

"But…. I'm so happy you've come home again. I've missed you so much." She whispered warmly, "And since you are home, _you should be resting_. it's a break, so you need to be enjoying yourself. And here you are, overworking yourself till you can barely keep your eyes open."

"I---" I tried to argue.

"No, I understand." She returned my glasses to its rightful place and gave a soft kiss on my cheek, "I know how devoted you are to your research, and I'll always support you. But just don't stay up too late again, okay?" She said tenderly.

"Okay." I agreed. She smiled at me then left, gently closing the door to my study.

I returned to my book, but then stopped, after considering what Catherine said. I should be resting myself as she said. This is a break from all the issues I've encounter after all… I mustn't let this go to my head all at once. I should be resting my wings, as should Jet and Virginia as well. Jet; whose mind must be in utter disarrangement after recalling memories he never knew he had. And Virginia; I'm sure this confrontment with my family has been a lot for her. But maybe now she'll realize this and continue to fly forward, just as a Drifter should. Feeling the weariness overtaking me, I decided to quit for tonight and followed after Catherine. Yes, she was right; I should be enjoying myself while I'm here…

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, Jet was torn between memories and Virginia was torn between love. You all probably got that, but just incase you didn't…now you know. As little as Catherine and Kaitlyn was involved in the game, I'll be sure to try to get them involved within the story as much as possible.


	11. Rekindled Love and Hatred

**A/N: **Yeah, I know. This chapter is long. This chapter is really looong, well maybe not really. But I hope you guys have the patience to complete reading it, (It took me awhile to write). And you know what? When I first started this story, I planned to originally end it somewhere around chapter twenty or so. But apparently, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore, because a whole flood of ideas hit me instantly. So yeah. . . This story is probably going to wrap up well beyond chapter twenty. Just giving you all a heads up. . .

* * *

**Chapter 11: Rekindled Love and Hatred**

**Virginia**

The next day started off late. Jet was the first to awake very early in the morning, then Gallows, and eventually me. I was rushing around, washing up from my deep slumber. Frantically, I brushed out my hair and braided it sloppily (some of my hair was sticking out, so I must have looked like a total idiot). I fumbled with my ARMs and quickly got together the items I thought we were going to need for today's workout. Thinking I was the last to keep everyone waiting again, I quickly rushed into the living room where Jet and Gallows waited; only to find that Clive was still sleeping. Now that's new. . . He was usually the early bird. But on the other hand, I was glad that I wasn't the one keeping everyone for the first time. I always was the one who everybody had to wait on, so it was nice that the pressure wasn't on me for a change. But it wasn't like Clive to oversleep like that. . . I wondered if he stayed up late last night? Well, he was back together with his wife again after a long time so. . . . . .

_No! You shouldn't be think about stuff like that! Bad Virginia!_

I felt my face burning bright red just having that little thought for a moment.

Jet paced around the room impatiently, "Damn, he tells me to try and be a good leader. I followed his advice for once; I took the effort of gettin' up at the crack of dawn, as a real leader should, ready for the long, burdensome day ahead of us. He even said he'd support me. . . . _And what does he do_?! _He sleeps in_! Can you believe that shit?! This is the last time I'd do any favors for anyone, ever again! You go through all this crap, tryin' to be the good guy for once, and you don't even get anythin' outta it!" He complaint bitterly. Apparently he was anxious for us to get the training started already; which I found rather odd, since he always hated to do it.

Just then Clive appeared, still a bit too tired. His expression was dreary and his eyes were bloodshot as well. As soon as he saw us however, his dead expression lightened into a warm smile. Apparently he did stay up late. . .

"Well, well! Look who decided to wake up all of a sudden." Gallows said, taking his gaze off an unfamiliar magazine (which he did his best trying to hide it from the rest of us).

"Ah! I apologize everyone, it appears that I've slept in." Clive replied embarrassingly.

"You think?!" Jet mocked, "Well Mr. Reliable, thanks to you we already lost three hour's worth of trainin'!"

"Forgive me Jet, I am truly sorry. But I do have an excuse as to why I slept late. You see, I was going through my collection of books last night. After witnessing all the commotion these last days; the failed rejuvenation records at Leyline Observatory, the golem Asgard, my sudden urge to research caught the best of me again. . . As a result, I got a little overboard on my reading last night. . ." Clive explained.

"Well good for you, my man! You've suddenly got a new lead on your 'Finding the Lost Memories of Filgaia', huh?" Gallows responded cheerfully.

"That's right. I was rather relieved. For a while, I began to loose any hope that I would find anything new. . . By the way Gallows, may I ask what you are reading there?" Clive asked curiously, trying to get a better glance at the magazine hidden behind him.

"Uh--! N-nothin'!" He hastily stashed the magazine away, "H-hey, we've been wastin' enough time already! Shouldn't we be headin' on out for some thrashin'?"

"Gee Gallows, you think that would be a good idea?" Jet responded, still using his sarcastic tone.

I giggled at his irony, sometimes Jet could be funny. Although it probably wasn't right, since he mainly used it to downcast Gallows's intelligence. Then, catching me off guard, he looked at me as I laughed. His tough expression melted into a soft one as he laid his eyes on me. I stopped immediately.

_What's this? Why is he starin' at me like that?! How rude!_

My gaze fell over to Clive absentmindedly. He was looking at me too, with his dazzling smile. I immediately became flustered. Then he walked up in front of me, looking down to me as he was still grinning broadly. I quickly dropped my gaze to my feet. He paused for a moment then. . . _He began stroking my hair!_

_Oh jeeze. . .!_

"Virginia?" He said softly.

"Y-yes?" I shyly responded.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately? Your hair is looking rather disarranged."

"Huh?!" I rushed over to one of the mirrors kept in the room. Sure enough, my hair was so wildly tangled and sticking out in all sorts of places from my braid. My clothes were wrinkled as well. This time, I allowed my blushing to get the best of me, because I was utterly embarrassed of myself for hastily getting ready this morning.

"Um---! I-I'll be right back!" I squealed, dashing out of the room to properly groom myself.

"Hurry up!" Jet grunted harshly, returning to his mean self again. I could hear Clive chuckling and Gallows howling with laughter from the other room.

"Can't start off the day with some bad lookin' hair, Virginia!" He hollered.

**Clive**

As soon as Virginia's little humiliation was over with, we began with some serious training. . .if you wanted to perceive it in that way. We started off with target practices again. I assumed Jet was primarily trying to increase our accuracy rate, because Virginia wasn't exceedingly good yet and Gallows unmistakably was no expert either.

"GALLOWS!! What the flippin' hell?! Two days now and you still can't hit worth a shit! In case you didn't noticed, _you're trying to hit the target_, not around it! You giant bastard! You haven't been focusin' for one single moment since we started! And put that magazine away already, will ya?!" Jet howled.

"_Well excuse me_. But in case _you _didn't noticed, some of us just happened to naturally suck, okay?! So lay off me, man!" Gallows cried.

There has been something on my mind lately concerning Gallows' position. And seeing that Jet was not going to realize what he should have done awhile back, I began to speak my mind, "May I possibly make a suggestion, Jet?" I requested.

"No." Jet responded coldly.

"Perhaps we've been doing this wrong from the very beginning." I continued, ignoring his denial. "Perhaps we've all portrayed Gallows the wrong way. You see, he was never meant to be skillful with that ARM of his. His forte was never to be a physical attacker in the first place, yes of course, but to be a magic user. I honestly don't think that a person could be skillful in both categories. He's much more agile with magic, we've all seen that before. So why not have him focus on building up his magic power? Instead of having him build up physical strength that we all know he would rarely use. Besides, his main weapon of choice has always been to use Arcana."

"Yeah, listen to him Jet. I ain't no gunsman just like I told ya before." Gallows agreed, returning his interest on the mystery magazine.

"You shut up over there, you Baskar idiot! Now see hear Clive, _I'm the leader now_, so don't think I'd have ta listen to you anymore! I'm the one runnin' the show now, just like you wanted me too, so back off and let me do my job, got it?!" Jet grunted.

I gave a sigh of defeat, then turned to Gallows. "Although I may not agree with Jet on some points, I must say that you do need to be concentrating here Gallows."

"Uh-huh. . . Sure thing leader---uh, I mean Clive. . ." Gallows responded inattentively. Still reading the magazine.

"Gallows, are you listening to me?" I walked up to him and quickly snatched the magazine away from him.

"H-heeey, come on, I was lookin' at that!" Gallows protested, trying to grasp it back.

"What is it about this peculiar magazine that has been grabbing your attention lately---?. . . . . . . . .!? Gallows?! Is this. . ._pornography_?!" I exclaimed shockingly, as I flipped through the pages.

"Well yeah, whaddya think I was lookin' at, a colorin' book?" He said in a sarcastic tone.

"_May I ask where on Filgaia did you get your hands on such obscene material?!_" I scolded. It was no wonder why Gallows wasn't concentrating.

"Hey, chill out man! I got it back at the Leyline Observatory, I guess some of them scientists there were real perves if ya know what I mean." He responded, shrugging his shoulders.

I gave yet another sigh in disapproval, "Well, I'd advice you to focus here! You can have this _smut_ back after we're through training."

I was about to return to my original position. Just as I was about to turn, I thought I heard Gallows murmur, "Gee Clive, if ya wanted to sneak a peak, you shoulda asked. . ."

I abruptly twisted around to him, have my ears deceived me? "_Excuse me_?! What was that you just said Gallows?!" I asked astonishingly.

"N-nothin'! Heh, heh, I think you're hearin' things Clive, you might wanna take it easy for a while. Sheesh!"

I gave him a suspicious look, then returned to my post.

_I was sure my ears did not deceive me!_

**Virginia**

As I aimed and steadied my Rapier Ex and Bantorain 93R, I looked straight ahead of me at the target; that mischievous bottle! I squinted my eyes and concentrated with all my might, shut my eyes, then pulled the triggers.

_BANG!!_

I slowly opened my eyes, praying that I hit the stupid bottle this time. Yet to my disappointment, looking above my smoking pistols, there it continued to stand, mocking me!

"Darn it!" I cursed. I reloaded my ARMs again (I used up a full round trying to hit it), then huffed in frustration. I did the same process again; focus, aim, then fire. That's what Daddy always taught me. . . What was I doing wrong? As I eyed the bottle, I closed my eyes and imagined that I would hit it, another pull of the triggers. . .

_BANG!!_

I fired both at once, just as I've always done. This time I went flying backwards, landing to the ground, probably from concentrating too hard. I looked again, but it was still standing in one piece! "ARRRGHH!!" I screamed in frustration.

I sadly got up to my feet again, dusting my dress off. Then searched around the hot wasteland, only to spot Clive observing me. My body froze, paralyzed by his gaze. And then, he began to walk toward me from the distance.

_Oh crap. . . . . . _. !

I immediately began to experience the all too familiar feelings I had thundering inside of me. I began to panic. My heart slamming against my chest. The heat began to rush up my face, then scattered throughout my body. And what was making it worse was the dry, hot desert. Should I run? Oh, don't be silly! Where could I possibly run to hide?! There's nothing but the flat, dead land surrounding us. As he got nearer, I began to tremble, feeling my knees beginning to give out. This heat is getting to me. I was about to faint. I wanted to faint right then and there! He's getting too close now! Oh gosh. . . This feeling has gotten way worse than before!

"My, this certainly hasn't been your day, has it? Seven shots and you still couldn't manage to accurately hit your target. You hardly ever miss. I'm afraid it seems that Gallows' jinx has rubbed off on you." He said, grinning affectionately.

I stared at him terrified, gushing with redness and too shy to respond.

He continued to smile calmly, "Here, allow me to show you how it's properly done." He walked behind me then wrapped both his arms around me, holding his hands firmly, but gently, on mine. As if that wasn't worse enough, my heart began to furiously pound inside of me like a wild sandstorm. I was sure he could have heard it, or at least feel it. I was so hot right now; both from the scorching heat and having him firmly grasp me from behind.

He gently lifted his arms up, which bought mine up with his, and aimed forward. Still holding both my dual pistols, my hands began to shake unsteadily, almost violently. He firmly pressed against my body for a better grip of my clumsy hands that were pointing forward to the bottle, causing me to go red all the more. Trembling far worse than before, I tried to control it but my brain was too stupefied to tell what my body to do.

"Now, what you want to do is look hard at your target with determination." He explained softly. His hot breath on my ear increased the heating sensation, causing me to feel woozy and lightheaded. "Look carefully, Virginia. Think of your target as the one thing you hate the most. Anything. It could be a certain food you don't like, or perhaps something that peevishly gets under your skin. Now, concentrate!"

Yeah, easier said than done with him holding me like this! But I did what he asked, I look hard at my target.

I began to close my eyes, but Clive scolded me lightly, "No, no. Don't you ever close your eyes on the approaching target, Virginia. Hold your ARMs tighter, you're holding it far to loosely." He tightened his grip on my hands, "And now, have you thought of something you hate most?"

I thought hard, _Gee, I wonder what really annoys me? Hmm. . . What was my pet peeve?_

A sudden burst of anger shot through me as I saw the bottle turn into the image of the cursing Jet; who, once again, shouted at me for being a wannabe Drifter. With fury taking its control of me, I fired with no hesitation.

_BANG!!_

In the distance, I heard a shatter and witnessed the bottle fracture into a million pieces. I smiled to myself, relieved. Then I congratulated myself, until I realized the real reason of my success was still standing behind me. I swiftly turned to him, who continued to smile warmheartedly at me. I returned it back with a rather shy, innocent one. Darn it! My cheeks were turning crimson again!

Just then, a very rude Jet came barging out of nowhere by roughly bumping Clive out of the way, nearly knocking him over. He stormed up to me and forced himself behind me as his steel, hard arms imprisoned me. "That's not how you do it at all! That was a cheap shot, Clive! You were just lucky you hit the damn thing! _This is how real Drifters do it_!"

I protested bitterly, kicking and shoving him off of me, but with no luck he easily grabbed my arms, seizing them harshly. I squirmed helplessly in his tight arms, he was hurting me! No matter how much might I used, he overpowered me with little effort. Feeling his hard grip on my fragile hands, he forced me to point to another bottle. "Look there! You see that bastard starin' you down?! You just gotta show him who's boss and-- _Would you quit your damn wigglin'_?!"

"Y-You're hurting me!" I cried in agony.

"_Shut up_!!" He yelled in my ear, "Now pay attention, you weakling! All you have to do is just believe that you're better than him! Once you do that, then there's no way you'll ever miss! The key thing is to have confidence. No brainer, _right_?! Aim, fire, and shoot!" Jet didn't even allow me to take back my control of myself. Instead he firmly griped my hands even tighter as he pointed and pressed down hard on my fingers to pull both triggers. The kick caused us to fly backwards. I landed hard on top of Jet, as I heaved for breath from the impact.

The bullets fired alright, but it didn't hit the bottle; in fact, it wasn't even near the direction of the target at all! We all saw Gallows take a funny, rapid sideways dance. "_H-HEEEEY!!_ _You almost shot me_!!! What are you, a retard Jet?! Look who was all braggin' that he was a professional Drifter and all that!!" Gallows cried out.

Still recovering from the brutal griping, I did have the energy to turn to him and put all the effort I possibly could into my hand.

_SLAP!!_

A red mark burned on Jet's cheek. He slowly lifted his hand to his cheek and looked at me dumbfounded. "Y-You! Don't you ever hurt me like that again, you-- you---!! Jackass!!!" I screamed at his face. He still continued to look at me with that shocked look in his expression.

"Hmph!" I gathered my ARMs and stomped my way back to Humphrey's Peak. I tried not to cry from the severe pain I felt on my throbbing wrists. I was done practicing. I didn't care anymore. Even more depressing was having that jerk ruining my precious little moment with my savior.

As I was a few meters away from them, I heard Jet shouting to me terrified, "V-VIRGINIA!!!!"

I didn't bother to turn to him. Suddenly, I felt something very hard ram against me, slamming me to the hard, dirt ground face-flat. The impact was so strong that I lost all my breath within my lungs.

**Jet**

I felt the stingin' blow to my cheek from Virginia's hand. I was totally not expectin' that from her! Damn. . . It hurt too. . . After she screamed at me, I saw here barge off toward Humphrey's Peak. When suddenly a monster came gallopin' toward her from the side. She was totally ignorant of it approaching her. I felt an intense sinking feeling inside me. I wanted to dash over to her and knock her outta the way, gladly takin' the blow for her. But she was too far away and I wouldn't have made it in time. All I could do was cry fiercely to her.

"V-VIRGINIA!!!!"

But it was too late. The goddamn being slammed heavily against Virginia, as she thudded on the ground. It began attackin' her!

Without a moment's hesitation, I bolted toward her in a heart beat. I busted out my Airget--lahm and fired madly at it. The monster flinched, but apparently that wasn't enough to keep it from viciously beatin' on Virginia. I gave a cry of fury as I mercilessly fired at it. I was for sure gonna be the hero this time! Not Clive. Me! I'm gonna make sure that I'd save Virginia alone. Just to show her what I'm made of! I will be the one to save the day! I must!

My overly confident attitude backfired, though. The monster unexpectedly turned on me and began to assault me. I was too busy firing at it than preparin' for its counterattack. The giant beast knocked me to the ground. I thought I was totally screwed then.

Until a familiar figure came gracefully dashing into my view.

_No! Not you! Get outta here, this is my time to shine, not yours!!_

Clive fired a bullet at it, then smoothly dodged a surprised counterattack. He did the same process over and over again, easily dodging the attacks the monster tried to lay on him. He was a very skilled fighter. Hell, I won't lie, he's a _damn_ good fighter. What pisses me off was that he was a lot more better than I was. After some time, he stood back and took his time aimin' at it. I knew he was doing a Lock On. Then he annihilated the fiend with one, single shot. The monster cried in agony, then fell to its death.

Afterwards, Clive calmly walked over to Virginia and kneeled down to her. He lifted her up in his arms, inspecting any injuries; only to be surprised when she flung her arms around him. "Oh, Clive!" she cried in relief, "You saved me. . .again. . ." Then she flinched and her arms fell from him.

"Its alright now Virginia, you're safe. But---! You're injured! I must take a look at that arm." Virginia weakly lifted her bloody arm, Clive observed it carefully. "Oh dear. . . This doesn't appear to be good. . ." he replied with deep concern.

"It doesn't matter, you saved me. . . That's all that matters. . . I'm eternally grateful to you, Clive. Forever." Virginia said, in that stupid amazed tone of hers. She laid there in his arms, still in awe with his performance.

As I still laid on the ground, I dropped my head back down in the dust, defeated. Clive took my victory away. . . Goddamn him. . . I felt a swirl of disappointment inside of me.

_I was suppose to be the hero. . . I was suppose to be glorified by Virginia's praise. . . Not him!_

I closed my eyes as I laid there. . . My overwhelming despair twisted into a fury like I've never witnessed before. A flared explosion erupted in me. I tossed myself up to my feet and stormed my way towards them.

I was pissed. . . _I was really pissed_. . .

Unable to handle this situation, I took all my wrath out on the very first person I could possibly think of.

"YOU STUPID BITCH!!! WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKIN'!?! BARGIN' YOUR WAY BY YOURSELF IN THE DANGER FIELDS LIKE THAT!!! YOU COULDA GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED!!! COULDA GOT ME KILLED!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!" I screamed in outrage.

In truth, I was really angry with Clive takin' my triumph away, but unable to control my wrath, I took it all out on Virginia, even though it wasn't fair. No, I wasn't angry with her at all. But I didn't want anyone to get any ideas that I was cryin' like a bitch just because I wanted to play the hero. If they suspected that, then of course they're gonna find out that I risked it all just to be praised by Virginia. Hell no, couldn' take any chances with that!

"Jet, please control yourself. It was an honest mistake. We could have been ambushed at anytime, so there is no need to outburst like that." Clive said calmly.

I gave him the most hateful glare I could possibly make yet. I hated this bastard more than anythin'. How dare he took my glory away like that! _My glory_. Damn him for always bein' such a clever bastard! Damn him for always havin' that composed disposition that I hated so much! Damn him for always gettin' the credit for everythin'! Damn him for bein' such a skilled Drifter! Damn him for actin' so cool and collective, as if he doesn't have any problems in the world! Damn him for always havin' it easy all the time! _Damn him_!! I've never felt this kind of hatred before. He continued to stare at me with a shocked expression.

Engulfed in my flarin' hatred, I could do nothin' but heave in and out frustrated breaths. Quiverin' in anger, I turned and stomped my way back to Humphrey's Peak "TRAININ'S OVER!!!" I yelled furiously.

On my way back, Gallows ran toward us, pantin' out of breath. Idiot. The battle was already over with by the time he came here.

"Whoa, hey--- whoa! What just happened?!" He asked anxiously. I ignored him and continued to stomp forward.

**Gallows**

After the surprisin' scene, we were back in Humphrey's Peak. I tell ya, that was the most scariest moment I've ever seen yet. . . As I saw Virginia gettin' pummeled by that monster, I thought she was a goner for sure. And you wanna hear somethin' strange? Jet came to her like a speedin' bullet, then open fired like a madman. Huh, I guess he does sorta cares for her after all. I'm sure he wasn't _that _heartless to have just let her die. Too bad for him though, because that monster was too much for him to handle. Luckily Clive was there to fill the void. Yup! Good ol' Clive came to rescue the day once again! But why did Jet have to go all off on Virginia like that? That was so uncalled for! Never saw him so pissed off before either. Well I guess he was bound to explode sometime during our little adventure. If not now then later at some point. . .

Me and Clive quickly rushed Virginia into the house and set her carefully on the couch. Clive attended to her arm.

Just then, Catherine entered the room, terrified at the sight. "What happened?!" She shrieked.

"Oh, um, n-nothing! I just got a little hurt is all!" Virginia croaked, tryin' to sound as if everythin' was going all smooth.

"_A little_? Oh no, Virginia! You're bleeding!" She said worriedly. "I'll go get a wet cloth to clean her off." She quickly disappeared into the other room.

"N-no Catherine, really! I'm not that badly hurt at all!" Virginia tried to plead.

"Will she be okay?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, she'll be fine. The cut may be bad, but it isn't that deep. Fortunately, it isn't that serious. She'll be okay." Clive said positively, with a relieved tone.

"Good. . . I was startin' to worry a bit. . . _Anyways_, have you seen Jet? I thought I saw the little queer headin' on over here to town." I questioned.

Clive sadly shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. I believe he may still be out there. I think it would be best to let him blow off some steam for awhile." he said sadly, pushin' his glasses to the bridge of his nose. He looked as if he was lost in thought for a sec, because he was just starin' off into the distance. Huh, I wonder what he was thinking about?

Catherine appeared then, rushing her way to Virginia. She gently wiped the blood away, still havin' that distressed look on her beautiful face.

"It's okay, really! Catherine you don't have to do this, I-I can take care of myself, honest!" Virginia said hoarsely, still tryin' so hard to assure Catherine that the injury wasn't serious.

"Oh, well. . . Alright then. Please let me know if you need anything. Would you like me to make you some tea?" she kindly offered. Even though Virginia was well and all, Catherine still had that motherly tenderness that just soften my heart all the more.

_Wow. . . She sure is somethin'. . . ._

"Yes! I would like that!" Virginia said eagerly, jumping up off the couch. But she winced and carefully laid herself down again.

"Don't strain yourself too much Virginia. It would be wise for you to just relax for awhile." Clive suggested, "In fact, why don't we all relax for a bit? I suppose I'll spend some time with Kaitlyn now, so don't you be doing anything reckless while I'm away."

"Uh, sure thing!" Virginia replied cheerfully, gettin' herself comfortable on the couch.

Catherine smiled sadly, then went into the kitchen. Clive went off to little Kaitlyn's room. And Virginia laid her head on a soft pillow and quickly drifted off into a nap. Which means. . . . Catherine's alone in the kitchen, all by herself! With no scary husband around to worry about! OH YEAH!!

I grinned mischievously to myself and walked merrily into the kitchen. "Knock, knock. Want any help with anythin', ma'am?" I asked innocently.

"Oh, Gallows. No, no! I'm fine, you don't have to--" She waved her hand reassuringly, but as if that was gonna stop me!

"Aww, heck ma'am! I wanna! Can't leave a beautiful woman to do all the housework all by her pretty lonesome self! A man's gotta do the job sometimes to, you know! I'll be happy to clean off that table for ya!" I replied optimistically.

She gave an adorable giggle. "Why, thank you Gallows." She smiled that pretty smile that got me all warm and fuzzy inside. Man, that smile was _so_ heavenly. . _. It was like a gift of the angels_. I began feeling butterflies in my stomach. I flashed a big smile, excited that I could steal some of her time away from Clive.

Come on, that ain't wrong, right? _Right_?! _AM I RIGHT_!?! You bet I am! It's all innocent flirtin', not like I'm sleepin' with the woman or anythin'! I'm sure Clive won't mind that. I mean, who would wanna pass up the opportunity of spendin' time with a pretty lady?! _Especially_ one who's as pretty as she is!

"Ma'am, may I account that you have rather beautiful shiny eyes that just casts away all the shadows from within me?" I said playfully, tryin' to use some of my best pick up lines.

She giggled at my statement. "Th-thank you, Gallows." She said, "I must say, Clive hardly ever helps me clean around the house. Every time he comes home, he just locks himself inside his study, researching all day! So its really nice to have such a kindhearted man, such as yourself, to gladly volunteer."

"_You don't say_. . . How awful of him! Can't even do a single decent thing for his wife! It's such a shame that he doesn't appreciate a captivatin' soul like you anymore! Don't worry, ma'am! If you ever feel that you need to talk to someone about anythin', or if you have somethin' on your mind, or if you just want a shoulder to cry on, I'm at your service!"

Catherine gave a lyrical laugh, "Why, that's mighty kind of you, Gallows." I gave a little sigh of admiration inside of me. . . Her voice was just sooo soft and silvery, I had to catch myself from droolin' absentmindedly.

"Ma'am, think nothin' of it! Hey, listen--- You think that sometimes, uhh, you might wanna have lunch together? Uhh-- Alone of course. But---! Just as friends, you know?! Heck, maybe we can have dinner together or some----"

"_Ahem_!"

I twisted around abruptly, I thought it was Jet at first, because I was gonna yell at him for ruinin' my moment here. Until I saw a pair of cold blue eyes starin' at me dangerously through round glasses.

_Oh crap. . .!_

"And when do you propose that I'll _ever_ let you take my wife out for lunch? _Or_ dinner for that matter?!" Clive said, in a scary even toned voice.

Knowin' that I was seriously busted here, I gave an embarrassed laugh, I struggled in my mind to think of what to say, "Heh, w-what?! Come on Clive, you know I'm only playin' around! Just kiddin' around, ya know?"

He gave me that scary suspicious look. I put on my most innocent-lookin' face, which I knew he'd see right through it. Still continuing to stare me down, I sighed "Alright, going to the other room. . ." I annonced depressingly, slumpin' my shoulder down.

Catherine gave a tiny giggle at my situation, also knowin' Clive caught me red-handed. "That's what I wanted to hear." He said firmly. I started to walk on outta the kitchen, and Clive followed after me. As Clive shifted sideways however, a magazine came tumblin' out of his coat.

Ha! It was the Adult Mag he snatched away from me earlier!

Catherine picked it up and stared at it. It didn't take her long to figure out what it was. Her beautiful eyes widened with shock. She abruptly turned to her husband with a very serious look.

"C-Clive?! Is this a dirty magazine!?" She scolded him.

To his horror, Clive's eyes also widened, almost as if they were gonna pop right outta his head! His mouth fell open in bewilderment and complete shock.

Making the best outta this opportunity, I made a dramatic gasp, "_Clive_. . . . .?! _You lookin' at pornos_?! Oh, that's just sick man! And I thought you said you were a gentleman! Come on, have some dignity, will ya!? Sheesh!" I mocked, pretending to be shocked as Catherine was.

He quickly shook his head frantically in disagreement. You shoulda seen that priceless look on his face! _It was flippin' hilarious_!!

"I mean, what are you, some kind of a pervert?! Jeeze Clive, I don't know why you need this crap when you already have a stunningly attractive woman right here in your own house!" I continued on with my sarcasm.

"N-no! _Don't you dare try to bring this upon me Gallows_!" He cried. "Do not even try to blame this one on me! You very well know that this was in _your_ possession!"

Catherine looked from her husband to me, confused on whom to believe.

"Whaddya mean? You were the one who kept on lookin' at it since trainin' started this mornin'." I lied.

"_I begged to differ_! I very well believe that it was you Gallows! Don't you think that I'm possibly more mature than this?!"

"Apparently not, if that filth came fallin' out from your coat, buddy."

"I assure you, Catherine! I merely took it away from him so he could act attentively in training today!" He pleaded to his wife.

"Oh! I don't care whose fault it is! Just get it out of the house before Kaitlyn gets a hold of it!" She cried.

_Man, it's fun messin' with Clive sometimes_!

**Clive**

After that ridiculing episode, I decided to check up on Virginia. I had already put Kaitlyn to bed and the rest went to sleep as well. I'm afraid Jet never bothered to show up. It was dark outside and I began to worry that something serious must have happened. Yet after that combustion of his this afternoon, I fear that he may still be in that mood. So I thought it wise to avoid searching for him.

Virginia was still asleep on the couch from her nap earlier this evening. I was glad she did what I told her to do. She needs all the rests she can get. I looked at her while she still slept. I secretly struggled with my situation regarding her. Much time has passed now since my awareness of her infatuation. And she still appeared to have this particular feeling. I didn't tell Catherine about this matter of course. I thought it would be best to keep it to myself for a little longer. Perhaps then, Virginia would finally come to her senses.

She began to stir and slowly opened her eyes. Her dreary expression instantly dissolved into a surprised one, when she caught me gazing at her.

"Err--! H-hey, what's going on?" She stammered, quickly sitting up.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to see if you were feeling better." I replied calmly.

"Yeah, never better!" She exclaimed in her usual upbeat attitude. She displayed her confident grin.

I smiled to myself, she did appear to be well. "I'm glad to hear that. Tomorrow, if Jet decides to come around, we can persuade him to let us go to Gemstone Cave. I think that I may be able to find some more clues there. There are supposedly crystallized gems hidden within the cavern. Those gems are said to be shards of the planet's life."

"Sounds great! Wait--?! Jet's not back yet?" She said, almost sounding as if she was worried.

I shook my head, "I'm afraid not. To be honest, I believe he may still be heated up a bit from this afternoon. He was very outraged, as I recalled."

"Oh really? Hmph! I don't care if he ever comes back. We should just leave without him tomorrow. I'll bet it'll be a lot more pleasant." She responded with bitterness.

"Let's just wait and see if he shows up tomorrow, then plan what we'll do. Until then, we should get some sleep so we can be well rested for tomorrow's trek. Good night, Virginia." I said. Giving her one last smile to reassure her all was well.

"Uh, g-good night!" She replied, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"Oh! And Virginia? Let's not tell anyone, particularly Jet, that you imagine him has your target practice this afternoon. You might shock everyone."

"Huh?! Oh---! Yeah, of course!" She stammered.

I retired to my room, preparing myself for bed. As I took off my overcoat, I couldn't help but think about that afflicting glare Jet stowed upon me. It was as if he was angry at me. But why, I wonder? Throughout this journey, all I tried to do was offer some helpful advice and to make sure he was safe. Although he never appreciated my kindness, I still continued to look after him, as well as the rest of the team. Yet he still acts harshly to us. I suppose that's just the way he is. . . I gave a light sigh of exhaustion.

"Is something wrong?" A soft voice alerted me from behind.

I turned to look at Catherine. "No, its nothing." I said casually. She looked at me for awhile, then her lips curved into a smile. Yes, I knew she could see right pass my words. "Ah, I suppose I'm just rather tired from staying up late these passed several nights." I half admitted.

"I don't blame you. Why not take a night off from your research? You always work so hard all the time. I worry about you. . ." She said sadly.

I took her into my arms, "I suppose you're right. I need to rest up for tomorrow." I replied, agreeing with her this time.

"By the way, how is Virginia? Is she feeling any better?" She asked, still worrying about her condition from this afternoon.

"Yes, quite. But I must admit, she reminds me a lot about you when you were around her age. Virginia can be a bit clumsy at times, but you were exceedingly clumsy when I first met you. Although she isn't as coy as you were." I confessed.

"Me? Oh you're terrible! I was hardly _that_ clumsy and--- yes, I was very shy, wasn't I?" She admitted herself.

"Why, yes you were! Especially around me. I do remember that you wouldn't even let me come within a few feet around you. You would hide yourself in those books of yours and walk off from me! Or you would run to your father for protection."

She smiled widely, then laughed, "Yes I remember. But I'm glad. Glad that you have the patience to run after me, even though I was terribly shy. I'm also glad that you fought for me that day to claim my heart. Do you remember?"

A faint image from the past ruptured into my mind. Yes, I recalled all those years ago that there was another gentleman who had his eyes cast upon Catherine too. He was also a formidable rival of mine as well. . . Hmm. . . What was his name? Oh, I suppose it doesn't matter now. I have my prize right here in my arms right now and that's all that matters. Although I was proud that I won the right to propose to Catherine, I wasn't proud of _how_ I won. . . It still continued to haunt me to this day.

"While we're on this particular subject, _why did you allow Gallows to flirt so carelessly with you like that_?" I demanded lightly.

She giggled at my reaction, "You're not jealous, are you? Oh honey, lighten up. He was just being playful. In fact, it was rather nice to have someone shower me with attention, since you hardly ever do that anymore."

I was shocked and a bit hurt by her words. Then after gazing into her eyes for a moment, I gently kissed her soft lips, "Well then, how about now?"

"Right now? Do you really want to spend some time with me this instant? Or would you rather continue to gawk in that filthy magazine of yours?"

"What?! No, of course not! I told you, that smut belongs to Gallows! How could you even think that I could possibly be interested in that, Catherine?! As Gallows said, I don't see why I need that when I already have a stunningly attractive woman right here."

She gave me a questionable smile, "Whatever you say, honey." She replied mockingly.

**Jet**

It was already in the dead of night. And here I was, gazin' up to the full moon. It was silent, except for the whistle of the crickets. I didn't even want to return to Clive's house. Virginia would probably just gloat on about how _her hero _saved her today. I felt instantly crushed, I'd thought that she'd be the one gloatin' on about me right now. _I shoulda been the one_!

My strong hatred for Clive continued to burn furiously than before. Couldn't help it. Its hard to believe that I would actually despise the sniper this much. Before all this mess happened, I used to actually like him the most outta this band of idiots. He was the only one I could stand to be around, because he hardly ever jabbered mindlessly. Yeah, that was the reason why I used to think he's was okay. He didn't ramble on about whatever popped into his head, _like some numbskulls I knew_.

But times have changed. I started to hate this bastard for who he was. Does that mean I was jealous of him? Nah, couldn't be it. . . Just hated him I guess.

I'm gonna make sure not to let that bounty hunter get in my damn way!

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, so I'm going to start something new for each chapter from now on: a chapter review! Why? Because I feel like it, that's why. And who knows, maybe some of you might find it helpful. . .or maybe not.

Chapter Review:  
Things begin to heat up with our four Drifter heroes: Virginia's feelings for Clive starts to strengthen, Jet gets dangerously jealous of him in the process, and Gallows grows more fond of Catherine (which greatly worries Clive). And too bad for Jet that he can't catch a break with Virginia, huh?


End file.
